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THE MOON PRINCESS 

A FAIRY TALE 


Mrs, Harrison*s Previous Successful 
Fairy Books 

Prince Silverwings, and Other Fairy Tales. 
Fourth Edition, 

The Star Fairies, and Other Tales. Second 
Edition. 

Both volumes illustrated in color by Lucy Fitch 
Perkins. Small 4to, $1.25 net. 

A. C. McjClurq & Co., Publishers, Chicago. 


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a / WILL return soon, sweet mother.” 


(Pajre 18) 




Copyright 

A. C. McCLURG & CO. 

1905 

Published October 7, 1905 



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R. R. DONNELLEY & SONS COMPANY 
CHICAGO 







CONTENTS 


CHAPTEK I 

How THE Moon Princess Came 
TO THE Earth . 

CHAPTEK II 

How THE Wedding Guests Yis- 
ITED THE Caves of Ocean 

CHAPTER III 

How THE Fairies were Changed 
INTO Mocking-birds 

CHAPTER IV 

The Little Dwellers in the 
Marsh . . . . 

CHAPTER V 

The Rainbow Sisters 

CHAPTER VI 

How THE Sun Princess Came 
TO THE Earth 

CHAPTER VII 

The Story of the Jewelled 
Beach . . . . 

CHAPTER VIII 

The Lost Ocean 

CHAPTER IX 

The Story of Princess Sunset 

CHAPTER X 

How the Moon Princess was 
Taken Captive by the 
Black Dwarf 

CHAPTER XI 

How the Sun Prince Rescued 
the Moon Princess . 



PAGE 

13 

23 

30 

45 

51 

74 

91 

112 

128 

147 

154 



I 


LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 



PAGE 

“ I will return soon, sweet 

mother” . . Frontispiece ^ 

The Ocean Queen came forth, with 
her younger children, to greet 
them . . , . . 25 ' 


vX 


"They threw themselves at her 
feet, begging for pardon ” . 41 

" They circled together, dressed in 
the vivid colors of the rain- 


bow ” . 


. 57 


.X 


“ A glimmering figure sitting on a 
highcHff” . . . .106 

" Turning around, he saw a radi- 
antly beautiful woman near 
Hm” 130 


Also eleven drawings in hlack and 
white introducing the chapters. 


( 



THE MOON PRINCESS 




THE MOON PRINCESS 

CHAPTER I 

HOW THE MOON PRINCESS CAME TO THE EARTH 

T he heavens were a stainless blue, and the 
Moon shone out of them arrayed in silvery 
garments. One by one the sky’s matchless 
jewels, the stars, peeped out, studding that great 
ceiling with flashing diamond-points, until the whole 
dome was a glittering mass of blue and silver. The 
Ocean below seemed a big mirror, made to catch 
and reflect the bewildering beauty above, for, shim- 
mering softly, he carried in his shining depths all 
those myriad lights. 

Calm and majestic the Moon glided over her star- 

[ 13 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

studded pathway; but, in spite of her glorious beauty 
and brilliancy, she was really sad and sick at heart. 
Ethelda, her best beloved, the youngest and dearest 
of her children, had just made a request the grant- 
ing of which caused her that night bitterest sorrow 

There was an old custom among the Moon maidens 
that on her marriage each one of them might ask 
whatever she most desired, and the thing which she 
asked could not be denied her. Now, Ethelda of the 
starry eyes and the shining spun-gold hair had asked a 
fearful gift at her mother’s hands. She was betrothed 
to the Sun Prince Dorion, a handsome youth, strong 
of limb, and a goodly sight to look upon, and he had 
long loved her. He had seen this dainty maiden in 
all her varying moods, so he knew her well. Some- 
times, with her Moon maidens merrily engaged at 
play, she romped happy as a child; or later, with the 
stately tread of a young princess, she came and went 
in her big white palace. She often wore a pale blue 
gown with silver trimmings, and a crown of flashing 
stars upon her head, and then it was the brilliantly 
beautiful girl looked the daughter of the skies. 

Prince Dorion had watched the slender maiden 

[ 14 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

until every strand of her glittering hair was dear to 
his heart. Later his father’s golden chariot brought 
him daily to her palace. 

How Ethelda loved to watch him as he drove 
the fiery steeds with a master’s hands, guiding them 
surely and steadily to her palace gates! He was the 
finest of the Sun God’s sons, and Ethelda’s heart beat 
proudly as she looked upon her chosen one. The 
Moon Mother was happy too, in her daughter’s choice, 
and all would have been well in the wedding festiv- 
ities save for Ethelda’s unheard-of request. How the 
Moon hated to grant it ! But she had reasoned with 
Ethelda long and patiently without effect. For the 
wilful httle Princess was bent upon this mad whim. 
‘‘Alas! no good can come of it,” sighed the Moon 
heavily, and she gazed down sadly upon the Earth 
as she spoke. “No good can come of it,” she re- 
peated. “What could have possessed the child to 
want it?” 

For Ethelda had asked no less than this: to visit 
the Earth and spend her honeymoon there! 

The young Sun Prince, though at first reluctant 
to take his beautiful bride upon such a wild trip, 

[ 15 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

had finally yielded to her persuasions, and now, 
being won by her tender pleadings, was as anxious 
to go as she. 

But the Moon Mother had no such faith in the 
foolish journey. Her mind misgave her, and as she 
swung around the great circle in celestial glory, her 
heart grew tremulous with fear for her daughter’s 
safety. The request must be granted : that she knew ; 
but she was devoutly thankful for a wise law requiring 
a Moon maiden to revisit her own home yearly. At 
most, then, they could stay but a twelvemonth upon 
the Earth. Eeason as she would, however, the Queen 
Mother’s heart was heavy, for with the daughter upon 
the Earth the mother’s happiness would be gone. But 
the maiden’s joy at the consent consoled her some- 
what, and with an unselfish mother’s love the Queen 
determined to hide her own grief and make the wed- 
ding trip a brilliant and a joyous one. 

Prince Dorion came with a great retinue of 
knights, all dressed in shining gold wrought in the 
Sun’s fiery furnace, and bringing wonderful jewels to 
his bride. The Moon Queen, not to be outdone in 
magnificence, showered silver in plenty upon them 
[ 16 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

both, and bade one hundred of her loveliest maidens 
accompany the bridal pair upon their journey. 

The wedding was so brilliant that the skies grew 
bright as day, and the splendor was reflected for 
many miles across the heavens. When the ceremony 
was over, the bride, in shining white and silver gar- 
ments, came forth from the circle of her bridesmaids 
to bid her mother farewell. 

Long-limbed and graceful was this daughter of the 
skies. Her finely cut features showed her high-bred 
race. Her blond hair hung in yellow masses to her 
knees, while her tender blue eyes, looking smilingly 
upon her mother’s face, were radiant with happiness. 
Gliding swiftly forward she reached the throne, and 
there, sinking on her knees, she begged her mother’s 
blessing. 

Very tenderly the Queen watched her graceful 
child approach and kneel, and then leaning forward 
she raised her to her breast and showered caresses 
upon her. 

‘‘Ethelda, best beloved,” she began, ‘^stay not be- 
yond your allotted time upon the Earth. My heart 
misgives me when I think of your departure, and will 

[ 17 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

be heavy until you return. But see, my daughter, I 
have provided for your safety as best I can, and you 
may come back to me whenever you choose.” So 
saying, she drew the bride gently toward the window 
of her white palace, and there, looking down, Ethelda 
saw a wonderful sight indeed. A beautiful shimmer- 
ing ladder of moonlight stretched in infinite splendor 
down to the Earth. Whichever way she looked, the 
majestic sweep of that brilliant ladder was before 
her. It reached the Ocean, whose gigantic waves of 
foaming white rose to meet it, and it quivered in daz- 
zling glory upon the green-clad forests of the land. 

Ethelda was amazed and delighted at the wonder- 
ful sight, and throwing her arms around her mother’s 
neck, she poured forth her gratitude in loving words. 
^^We will return soon, sweet mother,” she whispered 
tenderly; those shining steps will lead us safely 
back to you.” Then, as her husband joined them, 
she stepped forward smilingly to greet him, saying 
she was ready. 

One hundred of the Sun Prince’s knights, in trap- 
pings of gold made by the Sun himself, and with 
bright shades of crimson trimmings, joined them as 
[ 18 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

she spoke. Ethelda’s maidens, in their glittering 
dresses of whitest silver, followed, and joining hands 
with the knights, began their magnificent wedding 
march to the Earth. 

Never was there a more kingly sight. Preceding 
the bride and bridegroom, the gay cavalcade de- 
scended the glorious ladder of silver beams. Step by 
step they wandered down the moonglade toward the 
Earth, and the Moon, smiling lovingly at them, 
sighed again heavily as she spread her bright path- 
way of silver before them. 

Now, the Earth knew of their coming, and she de- 
termined to give them a welcome befitting their high 
and mighty rank. She already owed a great debt to 
the Sun King, for it was his shining rays that warmed 
and nourished her and made her fruitful. Most of her 
splendid fertility was due to the warmth of the Sun. 
So she invited the whole world to meet the bridal 
party, giving a grand ball in their honor. 

Her invitations were taken by the winds and 
swiftly carried to the four corners of the globe. Hun- 
dreds of noble personages were asked to meet the 
distinguished strangers, and all came to do them 

C 19 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 


honor, bringing cordial greetings and invitations to 
visit the different parts of the world. 

The night of the ball had come. The Earth, re- 
splendent in jewels, awaited the arrival of her guests. 
The forest back of them was aglitter with lights, for 
all the glow-worms and fireflies had been summoned 
for the occasion, and for days they had been deco- 
rating the trees. An orchestra of birds sang deli- 
cious music, and overhead the sky was spangled with 
twinkling stars gazing in silent wonderment upon the 
Earth’s splendor. 

By the side of the Earth Queen stood Prince 
Dorion. His suit of pure gold shone like the Sun 
himself, and next to him was his beautiful bride, 
the Moon Princess. She was dressed in white gar- 
ments embroidered in silver, and she was certainly 
a charming vision. Her gleaming yellow hair was 
caught back from her forehead with a crown of flash- 
ing stars. Her clear blue eyes, with their deep sky 
tints, were dancing in lights as brilliant as her star 
crown itself. 

First came the Earth’s eldest son, the Ocean King, 
to greet them. The Sea was a mass of Are with 
[ 20 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 


gleaming phosphorus, and King Ocean and his mer- 
maid daughters seemed to be floating in red flames as 
they approached. The maidens’ long and wonderfully 
beautiful hair floated behind them as they swam, and 
they sang the most entrancing songs. They bore an 
invitation to Prince Dorion and his bride to visit 
them in their marine home. And this invitation was 
at once accepted by the strangers. Another invita- 
tion, accepted at once, came from Prince Dorion’s 
only sister. Princess Kuldah, who lived upon the 
Earth with her husband. Many more charming in- 
vitations were given them, but of course it was im- 
possible to accept them all. 

At last one distinguished-looking person strode 
forward, small of stature and ugly to look upon. His 
body was dwarfed, and he had a big hump on his 
back. His face was dark and glowering, and he wore 
a suit of yellow leaves. All the guests moved aside 
to let him pass, as though they feared him. He 
lived in the vast depths of the forest, amidst huge 
mountains; his daily work, with his thousands of 
imps, was to build those mountains big and high. 
Stone by stone he raised them, bleak and barren, to 
[ 21 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

the clouds. He limped as he walked, and he glared 
angrily at the shrinking faces avoiding him; but he 
gave his invitation to the fair guests, as the others 
had done, and bowed low before them as he gave it. 

An involuntary shudder ran through the lovely 
Princess as she heard his words, and she clung sud- 
denly to her husband in terror, as the black dwarf’s 
eyes dwelt admiringly upon her. She felt a cold thrill 
of fear at his bold glance. 

But Prince Dorion, reassuring her with a tender 
smile, turned to the ugly creature, and to the astonish- 
ment of the Earth Queen and her court, replied: ‘‘Sir 
Dwarf, we accept your invitation, and will gladly ride 
forth with you whenever our hostess wills. The Sun 
King, my father, and her Majesty the Queen of the 
Moon, have each sent the Earth a gift as a glad token 
of our visit here, and we must place our precious gold 
and silver deep within the bosom of your great moun- 
tains. There will it best thrive and grow, increasing 
and benefiting the world.” 

The Moon Princess turned very pale when she 
heard her husband’s reply, but the black dwarf limped 
away with a gratified smile upon his ugly face. 

[ 22 ] 



CHAPTER II 

HOW THE WEDDING GUESTS VISITED THE CAVES 
OF OCEAN 



HE Ocean King and his daughters came early 


for their guests. They had driven fast, and 
their sea-horses were covered with a lather of 


white foam. As they came shoreward the rising Sun 
dyed the sky a brilliant pink, and for a moment the 
water caught its color. And then it was delightful to 
watch the great rolling waves of the Sea blushing a 
delicate rosy shade. Ethelda with Prince Dorion and 
their friends stood on the creamy sands awaiting them. 
The Moon Princess wore a gown to match her blue 
eyes, and its exquisite train, embroidered in silver 
crescents, hung in heavy folds behind her. 

Stepping lightly into the Ocean King’s chariot, 


[ 23 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 


Ethelda sat beside him. Prince Dorion followed, and 
very soon the whole party were comfortably seated 
among the mermaids. Away they started. Some 
snowy birds, watching them off, rose suddenly, and 
outstretching their long white wings, floated lazily 
away. 

Billions of sapphire waves rolled in to meet them, 
but the horses sped easily through, leaving only a 
broad roadway of foam behind. The shining sun 
spread now over the wide expanse, and they seemed 
to be flying through golden mists, while their great 
frothy path glittered in as many colors as the rainbow. 
Farther and farther they went, deeper and deeper grew 
the rich color of the great deep, until it seemed im- 
possible it could become bluer. Then slowly that 
brilliant blue changed, becoming a clear cool green, 
the shade of the coldest waters. Not until then did 
the Ocean King draw rein, and slowly descending, 
they Anally stopped at the gates of his palace. 

The palace was a wonder to behold. Its walls 
were built of richest mother-of-pearl, and shaded from 
purest white to the most delicate rose. Its broad 
staircases and wide halls were all of the same costlv 
[ 24 ] 









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T Ocean Queen came forth, icith her i/ouiif/er children, to greet them. 


(Page 25) 


THE MOON PRINCESS 


material, while its trimmings and ornamentations were 
pearls and diamonds of priceless worth. 

To keep the white light from dazzling with its 
splendor, the tall green seaweeds waved about, lend- 
ing a delicious, cool shade, like the green trees on 
the dry land, so that everything was agreeable to 
the eye. 

The Ocean Queen came forth, with her younger 
children, to greet them, and Ethelda thought she had 
never seen anything so delicately beautiful as the 
Queen. Her eyes were clear as crystal pools, and her 
hair — a bewildering mass of gold — floated about her, 
covering her almost completely. She wore a pale 
green dress trimmed with magnificent pearls, and on 
her head a crown of diamonds. She glided up to the 
strangers, and in the softest voice bade them welcome. 

A magnificent banquet was served immediately, 
and then they were shown the wonders of the sea 
palace. Eooms filled with costly treasures were 
opened; chests of brilliant jewels were examined. 

But while the guests were enchanted with so much 
splendor, the King explained that to the mermaid 
kingdom these heaps of diamonds and emeralds and 
[ 25 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

rubies were really not worth a single piece of coral; 
for at these huge coral beds in the bottom of the sea 
the baby mermaids received their education. They 
were taught to swim and play games and amuse 
themselves, and later they lent their deft fingers to 
build and carve those exquisite mountains of the sea. 
When the Moon maidens saw the coral beds, they 
too . shared the mermaids’ belief. 

The party were walking through the clear smooth 
waters, when presently, ahead, they noticed a slight 
ruffle, and almost immediately they saw a long pink 
line. It was the coral reef. As they approached they 
saw great sheets of roaring foam sweep over the slip- 
pery coral, and as they passed by the hissing white 
wall of foam they saw that the tiny builders had 
raised their rose-colored mountains to a great height. 
The delicate work was a marvel to see; it was like 
the weaving of finest lace-work, and only the smartest 
of the mermaids were employed to carve the coral 
beds. 

‘^Can the Earth exhibit greater wonders?” ex- 
claimed Prince Dorion. 

‘‘We think not,” answered the Ocean King; “but 

[ 26 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

perhaps it is because we love our home so much. We 
have many more wonderful things we could show you, 
but our time is limited, and we can only briefly dis- 
play our favorites. 

Turning, he took from the hand of one of his 
daughters a beautiful shell. Creamy and shining like 
satin was the outside of the curving piece of mother- 
of-pearl, but its lovely lining was as pink as a rose- 
leaf. Presenting it to Ethelda, the King bade her 
keep it to remind her of her visit to his dwelling. 
‘‘This beautiful shell, fair Princess,” continued the 
King, “shares with the mermaid kingdom its great 
love of home, and it carries deep in its heart the sound 
of the waves. It will never lose it. No matter 
where it goes or how long it stays, if you but hold 
it to your ear it will speak to you of us. For the 
deep musical sound of the waves will always be heard 
singing within its depths.” 

Ethelda, delighted, thanked him for the charming 
gift, which she gratefully accepted. Then continuing 
their walk, they arrived at the door of a handsome 
palace, where the Ocean King’s only sister lived. She 
was called the Princess Sea Foam, and her palace was 
[ 27 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

built entirely of pearls. Great oysters were constantly 
employed making these pearls for her, and day after 
day they opened their wide mouths and deposited 
fresh beauties at her doors. Her apartments were 
very elegant and all in white, and the Ocean King’s 
guests were especially astonished at the magnificence 
of the Princess’s clothes. She was very beautiful, for 
her skin was clear and white and her features delicate 
and pretty. She was small of stature, and looked 
more like a fairy than a mermaid, but her dress 
amazed them by its beauty. It was snow-white, and 
was studded with the largest and purest diamonds 
they had ever seen. Even her hair was covered with 
precious stones, and wherever she moved, sparkles of 
light burst forth. When she approached closer they 
discovered that the shining jewels were not really 
diamonds at all, but clear and brilliant raindrops! 

The Princess Sea Foam was in reality also the 
Eain Princess. Her duty was to lie frequently upon 
the top of the waves and travel about, watching the 
dry land and the sky. Often one sees the broad blue 
waters decked with white specks; then one knows 
that Sea Foam and her companions, in their white 
[ 28 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 


dresses, are watching the world, to determine when 
rain is needed. It is a great responsibility for such 
a tiny Princess, but she has guided her millions of 
followers wisely, and the Earth is well pleased with 
her lovely daughter's work. 

They make the precious raindrops and then store 
them away in a big room in the pearl palace. When 
rain is needed the doors are opened and the skies 
absorb the moisture. The heavens fill with clouds, — 
at first glorious, shining masses, lying against the 
blue sky as white and foamy as the Princess herself 
on the blue waves, but later, gathering force, they 
darken to a gray or black, and fall upon the Earth 
in a shower of glittering drops. Over and over again 
must Sea Foam do this wonderful work, but it is a 
work of joy, because she loves those glittering drops 
of shining water. 

The Sun warms the world and gives it heat, but 
the Ocean must cool and freshen it with raindrops; 
for all the rain that falls from the skies must first 
be gathered on the Earth, and this responsibility 
rests on the Ocean King's sister, dainty little Sea 
Foam. 


[ 29 ] 



CHAPTER III 

HOW THE FAIRIES WERE CHANGED INTO 
MOCKING-BIRDS 

HEY were most reluctant to leave the beau- 



tiful world under the water, but the Sun 


Prince and the Moon Princess must keep 


their engagements, and there were many journeyings 
for them yet. The Ocean King had kept them as long 
as possible in his dominions, but now he felt obliged 
to let them go, and so regretfully bade them adieu. 

He had arranged in their travels about his strange 
and wonderful possessions to land them in a beautiful 
southern country. From this spot they would travel 
north toward the Valley of Enchantment, to visit the 
Sun Princess, that lovely sister of Prince Dorion who 


[ 30 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

was making her home in this world. They all looked 
forward with much pleasure to this visit; it seemed, 
in fact, to be one of their chief topics of conversation, 
for they naturally desired to see the only sister of 
Prince Dorion, who was famous for her great beauty. 
Now and then, however, in the midst of their joyous 
travels, a black shadow seemed to cross the pretty 
Moon Princess’s face: it was when she remembered 
the promised visit to the black dwarf. Somehow she 
could not overcome her horror of him, and was never 
reconciled to making him a visit. 

Reluctantly the company bade adieu to the Ocean 
King and his charming family, and rose through the 
clear, limpid waters of a big Gulf. It was a beautiful 
sight that met their eyes as they came to the surface 
in the open sunlight. A wonderful land lay before 
them. Its shores were shaded with spreading branches 
of magnificent live-oak trees which grew down to the 
water’s edge, planting their splendid trunks in the 
very midst of the curving line of yellow sand. Farther 
back pink crepe-myrtles, yellow acacias, and white 
Spanish daggers were scattered, and a long row of 
pecan-trees kept dozens of chattering squirrels busy. 
[ 31 ] 


/ 


THE MOON PRINCESS 


Cherokee roses bloomed in thousands, their yellow 
hearts showing in brilliant contrast to their dazzling 
white petals. ‘‘How beautiful this country is!” said 
the Princess, and every one echoed her words. 

As they landed they were greeted by the Sun 
Princess’s messenger, who would guide them north- 
ward to the Valley of Enchantment. This guide 
belonged to the company of Sun people who had 
accompanied the Sun Princess to her new home. He 
proved a charming companion indeed, for he knew 
everything about the countries through which they 
passed, and in their travels told them many interest- 
ing facts. They learned that they were in a southern 
land, on the borders of a great Gulf. They could 
see, beside* the live-oaks, some superb trees growing 
to great heights, — trees with great long green leaves, 
holding big creamy blossoms that opened like white 
chalices to catch the sun. One tree especially stood 
out in magnificent strength. Its rough old trunk 
was enormous and knotted with age, and its broad 
branches spread out protectingly covered with big 
waxen leaves. The great tree had a dignity about it 
that fascinated the Princess. As the little company 
[ 32 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

walked nearer to examine it, they noticed how the 
grass — soft as velvet — stretched away like a green 
carpet toward the yellow marsh beyond. The nearer 
they came to the tree the bigger the tree looked, and 
they found a round hollow in one side the trunk, 
where a squirrel had hidden his nuts. ‘^It is a 
magnolia-tree,” the guide replied, in answer to their 
questions, “and there are many thousands like it 
scattered through this southern country.” 

At that moment a sound rose upon the air, so 
soft and exquisite in its melody that they held their 
breath to listen. It came from the branches of the 
tree, and was a song of welcome from the mocking- 
birds. In a moment a thousand of these little 
feathered songsters had joined the chorus. Their 

notes rang out joyously, for they warbled and 
trilled in an ecstasy of delight until the strangers 
thought they had never heard a more beautiful 
concert. Then suddenly, while the Moon Princess 
listened entranced, the music ceased as abruptly as 
it had begun. They heard a flutter of soft wings, 

and saw above their heads a flock of tiny birds. 

The birds were lovely, — a soft gray in color, with 

[ 33 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

a splash of white on the wings and tail, and as 
they flew away and disappeared in the distance all 
became silent again. 

What a silence it was! Not a sound broke the 
stillness. The brilliant sunshine danced along the 
ground like little sparks of fire, but not a leaf 
stirred. It grew warm. The blue gulf lay like a 
sheet of glass in a sort of golden mist. The heat 
was intense; it seemed to shimmer in a yellow haze 
over everything; and then suddenly a little move- 
ment broke the profound stillness. It came from the 
green-eyed, red-throated lizards as they ran through 
the grass. They stopped to watch the strangers won- 
deringly, but as the Moon Princess moved slightly, 
the timid little creatures, affrighted, took the color 
of the leaf on which they were, and lay as motion- 
less as death ! 

Then the Princess spoke softly: ‘^This world is 
very wonderful; I have never seen so many bewilder- 
ing things before.” 

As they resumed their journey the guide told 
them the history of the bird. 

^'The mocking-bird is really the southern fairy, 
[ 34 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 


you know,” he began, ^‘and the entrancing song it 
sings is only the story of its life. It tells the tale over 
and over again, in a delicious burst of song; as the 
little children alone understand the fairies’ speech, I 
cannot tell all it says, but I will repeat exactly what 
I have heard. Once upon a time there dwelt in the 
midst of that great magnolia grove we have just left 
a band of fairies. They were the lightest-hearted and 
happiest little band in the world, and they had just 
celebrated a splendid marriage. One of their most 
beautiful Princesses had married a nephew of the 
Queen. He was as handsome as his bride was beau- 
tiful, and everything went merry as a marriage bell. 
Now, Prince Adelstan, in spite of his high rank and 
station, was always playing some prank upon some 
one, but his tricks were generally good-natured, and 
the fairies seemed to love him the better for his fun; 
he was, indeed, a great favorite with them all. Now, 
when he married the dignified and beautiful Princess 
Verdande, every one predicted that he would become 
more sober, and, as a married man, put aside his 
boyish manners. 

‘‘It really seemed just about as they prophesied. 

[ 35 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

Of course, a fairy’s life is ^ brilliant round of pleasure, 
but Prince Adelstan seemed contented to travel the 
world over with his lovely wife and act just as all 
well-behaved fairies should. The little people were all 
delighted, of course, with the change in their favorite, 
and said among themselves he was even more attract- 
ive than ever. In reality Prince Adelstan was so 
absorbed in a plan he was forming for himself and 
bride that he had no time to think of playing foolish 
pranks on others. Fairies, as you know, are free to 
do exactly as they please, except for one rule, and that 
rule can never be broken. Their life must be lived at 
night, amid moonshine and starlight, and then they 
pass many gladsome hours together; from dusk until 
dawn they are the merriest little people in the world. 
But at the first streak of light every fairy must 
vanish, — under a leaf, in the heart of a rose, behind 
a dewdrop, the fairy may hide ; but hide he must, and 
there remain sleeping until darkness again falls upon 
the world. This rule in Fairyland has been enforced 
for centuries, and no one, however brave, has had 
the hardihood to break it. Sometimes (but very 
rarely), on a day when the Sun does not shine and 
[ 36 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

the Earth is covered with a white veil of mist, a faiiy 
can peep out, hut he must be extremely careful that 
he is only in the mist, for he must never see a ray 
of sunshine for a moment. 

‘‘Well, can you imagine what Prince Adelstan 
decided to do? He determined upon a terribly rash 
thing, and planned it for months. He lay awake 
thinking of it, for in his excitement he could not 
sleep. He whispered it at last to his beautiful bride, 
who trembled in his arms as she listened. She was 
horrified at first, and pleaded with him to give up his 
rash plan; but he was bent upon it, and after weeks 
of pleading from him, she finally yielded and consented 
to help him. Together they decided to elude the 
fairies and break the law; for their rash determina- 
tion was no less than this — to see the Sun rise. 

“Night after night they discussed it, and one 
beautiful moonlight one, when they had danced until 
dawn, and the other fairies, exhausted, had slipped 
into the hearts of the magnolia blossoms to sleep. 
Prince Adelstan and Princess Verdande stole care- 
fully down to the waters of the Gulf, and, breathless 
with curiosity, awaited the coming of the Sun. 

[ 37 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

Never shall they forget that morning. The 
waters of the Gulf looked steely gray in the first faint 
light of dawn. A pearly white mist was lifting slowly 
from them, and melting as it lifted. The little bride 
caught her breath with admiration as the cold steel- 
gray of the water slowly changed into a delicate, 
warm pink, for the Gulf, like a great mirror, was 
refiecting all the lights in the sky. The sea-shell 
pink of the faint dawn heralded the approach of the 
Sun. Gradually the delicate coloring grew a deeper 
rose, until the white clouds overhead seemed dyed 
in crimson. The waters lay still and silent; hardly 
a ripple disturbed their serenity. Presently long, 
piercing rays crept across the sky, while all the 
colors of the rainbow seemed to blend and mix 
together. Gradually the world grew brighter and 
brighter. Then suddenly out of the shining water 
rose a great red ball of fire ! The Princess clung 
to her husband, for, beautiful as it was, she was 
surprised and frightened. The Sun mounted slowly 
into the sky, casting his brilliant rays across the 
heavens, and at the same time great slanting streaks 
of yellow beams danced before their bewildered eyes. 
[ 38 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

The waters of the Gulf were marvellous to see, for 
they glistened like millions of flashing diamonds. 
The two fairies stood amazed at the magniflcent 
sight before them, for even Fairyland has nothing 
more beautiful than the sunrise. 

“Presently a flock of white sea-gulls rose shriek- 
ing from the sands, and Prince Adelstan and his 
wife (startled by the sudden noise, and abashed by 
their terrible disobedience ) tried to hide behind a 
blade of grass. Alas ! what was their horror to 
discover that they could not. They had grown 
much larger, and they realized in despair that they 
could no longer hide under the flowers; their wings, 
too, had disappeared, and they knew they were ban- 
ished from Fairyland. Then their sorrow began, for, 
try as they did, they could And no trace of their 
brother and sister fairies. 

“There was a dreamy stillness everywhere, and 
the flowers were very tempting in the early morning 
dew ; but alas ! those flowers no longer formed a 
home for the disobedient fairies. Hand in hand 
they wandered, and for miles they stumbled sadly 
along, until at last they reached the edge of a great 
[ 39 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

marsh. The green and yellow grasses there were 
scarcely moving, and lovely tints were shimmering 
in a hazy amber splendor. The unruffled waters of 
the bayou, as it ran curling around the rushes, 
gleamed in spots of silver. The world took on new 
beauties beneath the Sun, but the unhappy Princess 
and her husband could not enjoy them. They 
journeyed about in misery until they found the 
gnarled old magnolia-tree. They hid themselves in 
its hollow trunk. 

The fairies, of course, had missed them, and 
knew perfectly well of their misfortunes, but the 
Queen’s heart was hardened against them because 
of their dreadful disobedience. However, the band 
of little fairies, in spite of all, united in deep 
sympathy for their erring brother and sister, and 
they prayed the Queen to grant them pardon. The 
Queen’s heart softened a little at last, for after all 
the Prince was a beloved nephew; but even she had 
not full power to restore them to Fairyland. The 
law once broken, full penance must be done; for 
disobedience is a dreadful crime in Fairyland. 

“Late one night, when the Moon was high in 
[ 40 ] 




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u fllEY threw theimelvea at her feet, hegginf/ for pardon.” 


(Page 41) 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

the blue sky, and the world was flooded with silver, 
when the bright stars flashed out like millions of 
dancing points of fire, the two unhappy culprits 
crept out from the hollow of the magnolia-tree. 
The fairies were holding high festival, feasting on 
rose-leaves and drinking the dew from tiny acorn 
cups. Thousands of them were dancing in and out 
of the moonlight, and their bright wings flashed 
gold and silver lights wherever they moved. Their 
wands, too, sparkled and glittered as if they were 
on fire. The exiled Prince and Princess gazed sadly 
upon it all, seeing now fully what they had lost; 
but alas ! it was too late. They knew quite well 
their bulky forms without wings could never again 
become as light and airy as before their disobe- 
dience. Swiftly, however, they ran forward, and 
before the astonished Queen had time to escape, 
they threw themselves . at her feet, begging for 
pardon. The Queen frowned as she listened to the 
story of their disobedience, and the other fairies 
shuddered when they heard of the great crime. 
Still, her Majesty loved her nephew and his bride, 
and her heart was heavy as she heard the sad tale. 
[ 41 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

The Queen was unusually handsome that night, and 
seated on a throne of moss-rose buds, she seemed 
very far above the culprits at her feet. Her white- 
and-silver dress sparkled brilliantly against the bright 
pink of the rosebuds, and the green leaves about 
them were so covered with dew that they seemed to 
be made of frosted silver. 

‘‘‘Alas! my dear children,’ she began sadly, ‘I 
have not the power to make you fairies again. You 
have lost Fairyland forever by your act of disobe- 
dience. Once banished, you cannot be recalled; be- 
side, were it possible for me to admit you again 
to Fairyland, you would never be happy with us 
again. You have seen the glorious sunrise once, 
and nothing in Fairyland is so beautiful. You 
would constantly long for that magnificent sight 
again. But,’ she added thoughtfully, ‘perhaps I 
can render you perfectly happy in some other form 
upon the Earth, and in this way restore your con- 
tentment.’ 

“Tremblingly Prince Adelstan and his bride bade 
her change them, for, miserable as they were, they 
knew she spoke the truth. They would never be 
[ 42 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

happy in Fairyland again; they would always long 
to see the sunrise. Then silence fell upon them all, 
as the Queen slowly raised her glittering wand. 

‘‘Presently there arose upon the stillness of the 
night a most glorious sound. It was the mocking- 
bird raising its voice in thanksgiving and praise for 
happiness found again. Again and again those de- 
licious sounds floated out on the air, filling the night 
with sweetness, until the very fairies stood breath- 
less to listen. It seemed marvellous that so much 
sweetness of sound could be contained in such a 
tiny body; but the little songsters trilled and sang 
in glorious delight. 

“Only in this land of sunshine and magnolias 
will you find this wonderful bird. It never wanders 
far from the Gulf. It flourishes best amid the mag- 
nolias, and it fills the southern woods with music. 
It sings at all hours; at night, when the Moon is 
looking kindly down upon the Earth, and the Earth 
is serenely smiling to the Moon, its clear notes ring 
out joyously, until even the stars from their glitter- 
ing palaces lean down to listen. But it is at the 
witching hour of dawn that the most wonderful of 
[ 43 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 


its melodies is heard. Then it awakens to watch 
again that miracle of the world, the mystery of the 
rising Sun, and as the golden spears of light streak 
the heavens, cutting away the white veil of mist 
and coloring the skies with rainbow hues, its glori- 
ous voice rings out and floods the world with music; 
for at that hour the mocking-bird is telling over and 
over again the story of that magnificent sight — the 
sunrise.” 


[ 44 ] 



CHAPTER IV 

THE LITTLE DWELLERS IN THE MARSH 
S the guide finished his charming description 



of the southern nightingale, he pointed out 
to them the marsh. It was a strange- 


looking place, and Ethelda asked many questions 
concerning it. Why was it dangerous to cross ] 
Why must they skirt the marsh and go around it, 
as they were doing? It was much the shorter way to 
cut right across it, hut instead, they wallced miles out 
of their way to reach the other side. Their guide 
assured them that the marsh was not so charming as 
it looked. Down amid its dark cypresses, where the 
jagged palmetto fans and latanier grew, and where 
the tall rushes and reeds were so fine that, swaying 
softly under the breeze, they looked like moving 



THE MOON PRINCESS 


water, but water dyed in emerald and topaz tints 
— lurked many dangers. Eattlesnakes and toads and 
deadly insects- made it their home, and the ground 
was all a quagmire, so that stepping on it they would 
sink deep in mud and slime, and perhaps die there. 

“Oh,” said the Princess, “how awful! Does 
nothing nice live there ? Those beautiful tiger- 
lilies and big purple passion-flowers bloom so 
charmingly, surely there must be something there 
to enjoy them.” 

“Well,” answered the guide, “the birds fre- 
quently nest there, and the great pelicans and cranes 
hide in it; but beside them there are only three re- 
spectable families that I know of who ever enter it.” 

“Who are they?” asked Ethelda, deeply inter- 
ested at once. 

“Why, the first family I mean,” replied the Sun 
messenger, “is the Crayfish family. Deep down 
in the black slime live this family, who delight in 
digging and burrowing in the mud. They live in 
very black dirt, but a happier family it would be 
hard to find. They are splendid little housekeepers, 
too, and spend most of their mornings in their own 
[ 46 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

homes, trying to build up and beautify their houses, 
and they never meddle with any one else. Any time 
of day you can see their bright eyes peering out 
of their mud windows wonderingly. The Crayfish 
babies are very tiny, and are carefully and tenderly 
watched. They never are allowed to play with 
others, and cannot leave their mother^s side a single 
minute until they are five years old. Indeed, they 
hold on to her sides until that age. By that time 
they are considered grown, and can care for them- 
selves and choose their own friends. On this 
account, perhaps, the Crayfishes don’t visit much, 
because with a dozen children clinging to her the 
mother is hardly a welcome guest anywhere ; the 
Crayfishes have few friends in consequence. The 
Mud-Turtles, I believe, are about their only callers, 
and only through them do they occasionally hear 
of the outside world.” 

‘‘How comical!” laughed a pretty Moon maiden. 
“Now tell us about the other families.” 

“The head of the other family,” said the guide, 
“is very interesting indeed. He is a queer little 
animal called Opossum; he looks like a rat, but is 
[ 47 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 


larger than a cat. He spends the day lazily, sleep- 
ing among the foliage of trees, or in hollows of their 
trunks or boughs. His fur is nearly black, but little 
white patches about his face give him a most wise 
appearance. He brought his family, consisting of a 
wife and sixteen small babies, and started house- 
keeping on the edge of the swamp. The babies 
are not as big as mice, but they are the sweetest 
little furry things you ever saw. They cuddle up so 
nicely together, and just wait to be fed. Of course 
Mother Tossum has her hands pretty full watching 
and caring for sixteen small children, so it devolves 
on the father to provide food for them; and every 
night he runs around the country looking for some- 
thing to eat. He is really a devoted father, but he is 
not fond of work; and how to feed a wife and six- 
teen babies without work is a very hard problem to 
solve. So I am sorry to tell you Mr. Tossum often 
steals his food, that being the easiest way to get it, 
and nothing appeals to him so strongly as a tender 
young chicken. 

^^Now, the third family dwelling in the marsh are 
the Raccoons. Mrs. Tossum has a great contempt 
[ 48 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

for this same neighbor of hers, and they are not on 
very friendly terms. Mrs. Tossum is a splendid house- 
keeper, but Mrs. Eaccoon cares nothing at all about 
her home. True, she builds her house carefully in 
the topmost branches of a tree, but having done that, 
she considers her duty ended, and seldom occupies it. 
‘Any old place is good enough to sleep in,^ she says; 
and just so she can find a spot with water enough 
to moisten her food before eating it, she is content. 
Therefore she wanders around, with the little Eac- 
coons, anywhere and everywhere, and when they get 
tired they just creep under some old log and go to 
sleep. Of course Mother Tossum, with her strict 
ideas of housekeeping, thinks this careless habit no 
way to live or to bring up children; but whenever 
Mrs. Tossum reproaches Mrs. Eaccoon with being a 
slipshod housekeeper and a gadabout, Mrs. Eaccoon 
invariably replies, ‘Have you ever noticed how soft 
and fine my fur is, and how many beautiful rings I 
wear on my tail?’ — for she is awfully vain. Then 
she flourishes her tail around, and whisking about, 
shows off the pretty black and white rings she car- 
ries, to the best possible advantage, until Mrs. Tos- 
[ 49 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

sum in disgust sends all the little Tossums scurrying 
away, fearing lest they become vain and worldy like 
the Raccoons. But with the exception of the Rac- 
coons and the Crayfishes, the Opossum family own 
the big yellow and green marsh.” 


[ 50 ] 



CHAPTER V 
THE RAINBOW SISTERS 

A S the guide messenger told all these tales of 
the marsh, the Moon Princess and her com- 
panions noticed they 'were gradually leaving 
the southern land ; for of course such wonderful 
beings as Moon Princesses and messengers of Sun 
Princesses travel much faster than mortals, and they 
were travelling rapidly. They seemed to be in the 
midst of a charming forest of long, cool shadows 
and crystal springs. 

‘‘What place is this?” asked Prince Dorion, 
stopping to admire the long, cool vista of trees 
ahead. 

“0, this,” replied the guide carelessly, — “this 
forest was once the abode of the Rainbow Sisters.” 
[ 51 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

‘^Who were they?” innocently inquired a dainty 
Moon maiden, tripping lightly along. 

Would you like to hear about them?” asked 
the guide. 

‘^0, yes,” replied all the Moon maidens in chorus, 
“do tell us all about them.” 

“Once upon a time, in a charming country, a 
delightful people lived. The skies were clear as crys- 
tal, and the Sun shone brightly out of them. Great 
palm groves grew green and beautiful, and curious 
flowers sprang up in marvellous bits of color. There 
was a strange and fascinating beauty about this land. 
Even the rocky hills edging the big broad desert 
that stretched for miles away, barren of the smallest 
green blade of grass to make them pretty, were not 
ugly. Yellow as gold they sparkled in the bright 
sunshine, rich and mellow against the paler sand 
beyond. The country lay near a large blue sea, 
and through its many cities ran a splendid shining 
river. Now, every one of the clear, cool drops of 
this smiling stream was precious as diamonds to the 
people, for, beautiful as their . land was ( and it was 
[ 52 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

superb with its splendid mosques and temples and 
rich with jewels and carvings), it lacked one thing 
that the rest of the world enjoyed, — never a drop 
of rain fell there. 

‘‘For more years than you could count, the trees 
and the flowers had never tasted a cool sweet drink 
from the skies. The heavens were always blue and 
clear, for the Sun shone brilliantly out of them every 
day. Sometimes a cloud might form, but if it did, 
it floated by white as the foam on the sea, never 
dark or black. 

“Now, you may think that golden sunshine and 
blue skies are very lovely things to possess, but the 
people tired of having them all the time. They felt 
that a nice shower of rain occasionally, even if it 
came out of an ugly black cloud, would be better 
than all the pink and violet and green shades of 
their clear heavens. The only thing that saved their 
trees and their gardens from burning up as in the 
dry heat of the desert, and that gave them water, 
was the glorious big river flowing by. No wonder, 
then, they loved and prized its drops. Broad and 
long, it ran through the country, and curled in sil- 
[ 53 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 


ver splashes about the banks. Twice every year it 
overflowed, and then, with feasting and joy, they 
caught it in pools and canals dug to hold and pre- 
serve the precious liquid. In this way they kept 
the gardens green and lovely, but oh, the work was 
so hard! Thousand of poor slaves labored day and 
night to accomplish it. The kind-hearted king 
offered a big reward to any one who would devise 
some way to make rain fall in his country, and 
many wise men spent days and nights studying over 
the great question. Big trees were planted to catch 
and draw the moisture, and many other means were 
tried, but in spite of all these doings the clouds 
sailed by, as fleecy and white as snow. 

‘‘So things went on for many years, and still no 
rain ever came. Now, the king had an only son, to 
whom he was perfectly devoted. The child was 
very beautiful, and was also wise, as a prince should 
be. It was a common thing to see the handsome 
little fellow standing in the midst of a grave coun- 
cil of men, listening to their words of wisdom. He 
never seemed to tire of their long discussions, and 
would remain, solemn and silent, among them, instead 
[ 54 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

of playing with the children about him. Thus he 
grew in wisdom and strength to manhood, but he was 
seldom seen at the court balls and festivals, prefer- 
ring to wander about among the beautiful mosques 
of his father’s city, or to stand on one of their dain- 
tily carved minarets and gaze across the yellow 
sands of the desert. Often he would remain thus 
for hours, and though his eyes were looking far out 
over the appalling yet wonderful beauty of the des- 
ert, his thoughts were always only of how he might 
solve the riddle of his country, and bring it the cool 
drops of rain it so earnestly wanted. This one idea 
absorbed him utterly, he could think literally of 
nothing else, for he noticed with sorrow how terribly 
hard his father’s slaves toiled to carry the precious 
water from the river when they tilled the ground. 

One day, shortly after he was grown, he was 
sitting beneath the shadow of a great pyramid, and 
was planning and musing on the one questioti al- 
ways uppermost in his mind. The day was warm; 
the desert around him shimmered in a golden haze. 
The yellow hills were so bright beneath the noon- 
day sun that his eyes fairly ached as he watched 
[ 55 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

them, and it was a relief to turn from their glittering 
lights toward the cool, flowing river, and watch a 
fringe of feathery, waving palms. ^Oh, for the dark 
shadow of a cloud,’ he murmured, ‘to soften all 
this glare ! ’ 

“He had not spoken aloud, and yet he heard a 
musical sound as though in answer to his wish. He 
turned quickly, and saw a wonderful sight. The 
desert had disappeared, and he was looking into a 
shadowy green forest, with crystal springs. Clear, 
limpid streams of water ran through the woods, and 
beautiful flowers were blooming. Farther along in 
the distance he saw a big mountain, dark and gray, 
and yet all about its sides grew pretty green ferns. 
Looking closely, he observed that there was an open- 
ing in its side, and through this opening came the 
music of a flute. As he watched more closely he saw 
a lovely maiden come slowly forth. She was dressed 
in a brilliant gown of orange color, and her flowing 
robes floated softly about her. Her hair hung in 
waves of gold, and on her forehead flashed a beauti- 
ful star. In her hand she carried a wand, but the 
wand was so curious that he forgot the beauty of the 
[ 56 ] 








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ii 'THEY circled together, dressed in the vivid colors of the rainbow ” 


(Page 57) 



THE MOON PRINCESS 

maiden in noticing it. It was long and slender, and 
seemed to be made of pure gold and laden with jew- 
els ; but it was not this wealth of glistening gold 
that attracted him, it was a curious cloud of white 
mist that curled and floated away from it each time 
that she waved it aloft. He had never seen anything 
so peculiar before. Each white cloud that floated 
away nestled among the hollow places in the hills 
like a thin veil, or hovered over the babbling streams 
in the forest. While he was watching the mysterious 
cloudlets from the magical wand, a second maiden, 
more beautiful than the first, followed, dressed in a 
pale blue gown, and having, like the first, a brilliant 
star on her forehead. She also carried a jewel-laden 
wand, and it sent forth similar mysterious white 
clouds. Then came a third, dressed in a brilliant 
red; and another, in soft green; and still another, in 
charming violet ; and so on, until seven beautiful 
creatures stood together, dressed in the seven vivid 
colors of the rainbow. They formed a ring, and 
slowly moved together in a circle about an open 
space before the mountain. Lightly stepping, thus 
they danced, always in a circle, and always gazing 

[ S'? ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

intently toward the opening in the mountain through 
which they had come. 

Presently, as they gazed expectantly, Prince 
Asgard saw coming toward them the most exquisite 
creature he had ever beheld. She was tall and 
slender, and her graceful form seemed to dance along 
rather than walk. She was dressed in some soft, 
clinging material of pure white, shading to a glitter- 
ing silver, and the girdle confining her waist looked 
like a bit of the blue sky itself, it was so dainty. 
Her hair was like that of the other maidens, and 
looked like spun gold, and it was so fine that it 
glistened wonderfully as she moved. Her slippers 
were pale blue, and embroidered with silver threads. 
A brilliant star on each slipper flashed like a big dia- 
mond as she danced along. A tiny golden crown 
held her hair in place, and seven glittering stars 
encircled her head. Her wand was of frosted silver, 
and as she waved it, the soft vapor rolled away in 
white clouds, as it did before the wands of the other 
maidens. As she appeared, the seven other maidens 
broke into a song of gladness, singing in a clear, 
high tone these words: — 

[ 58 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 


Little Sister, fair and dear, 

Born of seven colors clear. 

Welcome! In our round of pleasure 
You’re to us the dearest treasure; 

Out into the world we ’ll send 
Mist and clouds of white that blend. 

The silver maid replied, singing: — 

Dearest sisters of my race, 

I come forth to your embrace; 

Faithful, tender, always true. 

Shall my love be unto you. 

Then they all danced a wonderful dance while sing- 
ing together: — 

Let the foaming clouds on high 
Fall in raindrops from the sky; 

Let the lightning’s fire flash. 

Come, vnth thunder’s awful crash ! 

Let the cooling rains thus sink. 

Giving earth her crystal drink! 

‘^As they moved together in graceful steps and 
in perfect rhythm to the music of the song, Prince 
Asgard saw a wonderful arch or bow form across the 
cloudlets that had arisen from their wands. It was 
[ 59 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

a magnificent rainbow, and each of the seven distinct 
colors was matched in shade by a dress worn by 
one of the maidens. Their flowing draperies blended 
bewitchingly and mixed together in pretty confusion 
as they danced, making thus a complete circle of 
rainbow colors. It was an exquisite sight, and the 
Prince marvelled at it, and wondered what it all 
meant. Presently the maiden who had first appeared, 
and who seemed to be the eldest and the leader of 
the sisters, waved her wand aloft and approached the 
silver maid, and taking her hand, led her into the 
middle of the circle. The circle then formed again, 
and continued dancing around the little white Prin- 
cess. For several minutes they fianced; then each 
in turn, beginning with the eldest, tenderly clasped 
the silver maiden in her arms and kissed her on the 
brow, and then ran lightly into the opening in the 
side of the mountain. 

‘‘The silver maid stood one moment longer, smil- 
ing and lovingly watching her sisters, then she, too, 
tripped lightly toward the mountain, as though to 
follow them. But, as if a sudden thought had come 
to her, she turned abruptly and glided toward Prince 
[ 60 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

Asgard. His heart was beating with excitement as 
he watched her, and he held his breath with admira- 
tion, for he had never seen any one before so won- 
dronsly beautiful. 

‘Hn a moment she was beside him, and he noticed 
her eyes were sparkling and blue as the girdle she 
wore. 

‘ 0, Prince of the Southern Lands,’ she began, in 
musical tones, ‘you have witnessed the dance of the 
Rainbow Sisters ^ — a sight forbidden to mortals. We 
live in an enchanted mountain in the heart of a great 
forest. Our mother is the beautiful Sea Foam, whom 
you have often watched in her white dress upon the 
ocean. We help our mother with her work, but our 
home is in the deep recesses of these lovely woods. 
Never before has a mortal eye seen these woods nor 
witnessed our sacred dance in them. From our magi- 
cal wands float out the mists to form the cloud- 
world. Upward they travel, gathering moisture as 
they go, and floating across the blue heavens, they 
fall again in refreshing rain upon the earth. But 
our precious mist-clouds never fall in your country. 
We will never send them there again unless, un- 
[ 61 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

less — ^ and she hesitated in the most charming and 
provoking manner in the world. 

“ ‘ Unless what, 0 beautiful Princess of the Silver 
GownU eagerly asked the Prince. 

‘‘^Alas, that I may not tell you,’ replied the little 
Princess, growing grave. ‘This only may I add: 
Once, in the long ago, your people did a great wrong, 
and were very rude to my sisters. It was their 
custom then to dance publicly, once a year. Always 
your people gathered to watch them, and with pleas- 
ure my sisters danced before them, and with their 
magical wands they sent out the mist-clouds far and 
wide. Kefreshing rain fell in your midst then as 
elsewhere, and everything was joyous and charming. 
But your people were rude and offended my sisters 
sorely, and never again will they visit you or dance 
before mortals. All your methods to bring rain into 
your country will fail, your schemes will come to 
naught, and until my sisters relent and forgive, the 
clouds will continue to sail across your blue skies as 
white as the flecks of foam on the sea.’ 

“‘Never shall the rain fall in my country?’ 
echoed the young man sadly. ‘Never? Then, 0 
[ 62 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

beautiful Princess/ he added despondently, ‘shall I 
never see you again?’ For at that moment the 
Prince forgot his great problem, how to bring rain 
to his country, and thought only (with a heavy heart) 
that he would lose sight of the little Princess of the 
Silver Dress. 

“‘Never, 0 Prince,’ replied the Princess gravely, 
‘unless — ’ then she smiled suddenly, showing her 
teeth like gleaming pearls between her red lips, — 
‘never unless you find us again, and — ’ 

“‘And what?’ the Prince demanded earnestly. 

“‘Alas,’ replied the silver maid, again grave, ‘I 
cannot tell you. There is one thing alone that might 
cause them to return to your country, but it seems 
so impossible, that it will never happen, I am sure; 
and beside, I cannot tell you what it is.’ 

“‘0,’ replied the Prince earnestly, ‘I will find it 
out. No obstacle on earth will prove too hard, and 
you may be sure nothing will prevent my finding 
you, beautiful Princess.’ 

“‘I wish you success,’ sweetly replied the Silver 
Princess, and then, as she spoke these words, she 
blushed a vivid crimson. 

[ 63 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

‘‘She was so beautiful as she stood thus before 
him, blushing and smiling at the same time, that the 
Prince, falling on his knees, begged her to give him 
a sign by which he might hope to see her again and 
win her love. 

“ She tore off a piece of her blue girdle, and ' 
dropping it on the earth, put her foot lightly upon 
it. ‘I leave you a flower,’ she said, ‘may it com- 
fort you. , Forget me not’; and saying this, she dis- 
appeared. 

“The Prince rubbed his eyes, for as she vanished 
he found himself again gazing at the feathery green 
palms across the big river, and looking around, found 
the yellow desert stretching in boundless sands to 
meet the horizon. The forest, the mountain, all had 
gone. But as he turned away from the great tawny 
hills in despair, he saw at his feet a tiny bit of blue. 
Stooping, he picked up the prettiest flower he had 
ever seen. It was as blue as the silver maid’s eyes, 
and as he held it to his lips he repeated her words, 
‘Forget me not’; and since that day the little flower 
has always been called the forget-me-not. 

“Now, as Prince Asgard went home he pondered 

[ 64 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 


deeply on what he had seen, and gaining the consent 
of his father and the wise men of the country, he 
gathered together a great army and started out into 
the world in quest of the unknown princesses. No 
person believed he would succeed in finding the Eain- 
bow Sisters or in bringing rain into the country. 
The story of the Rainbow Maidens was well known 
to the wise men, but they counted it a myth, a fairy 
tale, and they smiled among themselves when they 
heard that Prince Asgard believed it firmly. But 
they did not object to his trying: it would do no 
harm; and in the meanwhile they would still study 
and devise other methods. 

^‘Prince Asgard said good-bye to his father and 
the people, and at the head of a great army spar- 
kling in gold and silver helmets and shields, he 
started on his journey. He was going to look for 
the Rainbow Sisters because his country needed rain, 
yet in his heart he knew it was because of love for 
the youngest and prettiest of those sisters that he 
was so eagerly searching. 

‘‘The army travelled everywhere throughout the 
world. By sea and by land they went, and they 
[ 65 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 


had many wonderful adventures. Tigers and wolves, 
bears and panthers, attacked them, and strange peo- 
ple told them they were on a foolish quest, but they 
did not heed such remarks, and continued on their 
way. But after several years had passed, and they 
seemed no nearer the Rainbow Mountain, the soldiers 
became discontented, and said it was a foolish trip 
after all, and begged to be allowed to return to 
their own homes. The strange countries through 
which they passed taught them much, and they often 
saw rain and splendid storms; yet when some of 
their fine ships were wrecked and lost at sea, many 
of them felt that perhaps it was pleasanter after all 
to be in a country where only sand-storms of the 
desert were known. One by one the soldiers were 
released by Prince Asgard from their promises; they 
returned to their homes, and at last the Prince was 
entirely alone. But he was not discouraged. Deter- 
mined and brave, he vowed he would never give up 
the search, and he started out again with renewed 
courage to find the beautiful Princess of the Silver 
Dress. 

He wandered many months, but without success. 

[ 66 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

At last one night he stood, almost despairing, on 
the edge of a dark forest. He had just made up his 
mind that he would live and die in a foreign coun- 
try, because he would never go back to his own 
home until he found the Silver Princess. ‘0 beauti- 
ful Princess,’ he said aloud, ‘some way I shall find 
you and prevail upon you to marry me, for I can 
never be happy without you’; and yet as he said it, 
it seemed to him almost an impossibihty. 

“He entered the forest and sat down within its 
gloomy depths to rest a while. The Moon was just 
rising, and in a little while her bright rays penetrated 
the black density of the trees. Little patches of sil- 
ver lay along the ground, and a light wind stirring 
the trees made the silver rays dance along, until 
the earth seemed sprinkled with millions of shining 
jewels. He was watching the pretty sight intently, 
for it made him think of the dress of silver that the 
little Princess wore. He was so absorbed that he 
was considerably startled when he heard a musical 
sound such as he had heard on the edge of the 
desert. 

“Looking up quickly, he beheld, to his amaze- 

[ 67 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

ment and joy, the same big mountain, and heard the 
rippling waters of the crystal streams flowing over 
the rocks. He could hardly breathe, he was so ex- 
cited, and so fearful lest it should prove a dream. 

“But again the beautiful sister emerged as be- 
fore. Her magical wand sent forth its cloud-vapors 
as she danced forward; again the other lovely maid- 
ens followed, and again they formed a ring of rain- 
bow brilliancy. The Prince sat expectant and trem- 
bling. Would the Silver Princess appear? A mo- 
ment more and the little Princess tripped out, more 
beautiful than ever. Her silver dress gleamed and 
sparkled in shining light as she floated forward. 
Her eyes were tender and blue, and her dainty 
girdle, with its touch of color, bound her slender 
waist. Her lovely arms shone white and firm through 
the thin gauze of her dress. Butterflies floated about 
her, airy, exquisite things, marvellous in color, and 
lighting on her hair and shoulders, gave a curiously 
beautiful touch to the picture. 

“ Her sisters greeted her lovingly and tenderly, 
as before, and they then began their graceful and 
mysterious dance. Clouds of vapor rolled about 
[ 68 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

them as they moved, until the forest was enveloped 
in a misty veil ; but through it all the dazzling 
dresses and graceful forms could be plainly seen. 
Then, as the dancing drew to a close, the rainbow 
circle shining lovely through the mist, the seven 
dancers, each in turn, stooped, and clasping the Silver 
Princess in their arms, kissed her caressingly. 

“Prince Asgard remembered with an aching heart 
that this parting kiss was a signal for their dis- 
appearance, and fearing he might lose the beauteous 
maid again, he darted forward impulsively. He 
hardly knew what he intended to do ; he had formed 
no idea beyond the fact that he would speak to her, 
appeal to her to remain by his side. At the moment 
he sprang forward there was a fearful cry from the 
seven sisters, and turning, they fled to the mountain 
side, urging the Silver Princess to follow. She stood 
dismayed, and trembling in every limb, -and then, 
with a little low cry of terror, she followed swiftly. 
But whether she was confused or frightened, she 
stumbled as she ran, and fell upon the earth. 

“At that moment Prince Asgard reached her side 
and lifted her gently to her feet. She turned so 
[ 69 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 


pale as he assisted her that he held her for a mo- 
ment in his arms to support her, fearing she would 
faint, and anxiously asked if she were ilk 

‘‘‘Alas, no,’ she replied, as she drew away from 
him, ‘but you have done a very terrible thing.’ 

“At that moment a sad and mournful cry arose 
from the heart of the mountain, and the seven sisters 
floated out slowly and surrounded the Silver Princess. 
She threw herself on her knees before them, but 
they did not touch her. It seemed as though they 
feared to do so. She implored them to touch her 
with their hands, to kiss her, but they only sang a 
sad refrain in answer to her prayers. 

Little sister, mortal now, 

Alas, we cannot kiss your brow. 

Still for ever shall abide 
In your sky a rainbow guide; 

And the love we have for you 
Now and always shall be true. 

Then, tenderly kissing their hands to her, they 
floated off and disappeared in the mist. 

“‘What does it mean?’ said Asgard tenderly, 
lifting the Silver Princess from her knees. ‘Why 
[ ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

are you so unhappy? I love you with all my heart, 
little Princess. Will you not consent to marry me? 
Ask your sisters to spare you, for I cannot live 
without you.’ 

^‘‘Alas,’ she replied, 'my sisters have gone for 
ever from my sight. When you first touched me I 
became a mortal like you, and I cannot now return 
to them.’ 

"'0, little Princess, do not be sad,’ replied the 
Prince, 'for you have made me so happy by remain- 
ing. Surely you will not refuse now to marry me?’ 

"'No,’ replied the Silver Princess, smiling through 
her tears. 'I am an earth maiden now, and I love 
you. But though I am happy to be with you, I am 
sorry to lose them. Our dear mother warned them 
that some day I would love a mortal, and they have 
feared you since the night I spoke to you in the 
desert. That was the condition I could not tell 
you,’ she added shyly. 'Your touch would make me 
mortal, and as you lifted me in your arms when I 
fell, I became an earth maiden and lost my fairy 
nature. But you have solved the riddle of your 
country, for when we enter it together, you will find 
[ 71 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

that rain will follow. My sisters love me dearly, 
and for my sake will forgive your people. They 
will follow me to my new home, and though we 
shall never see them again, the reflection from their 
brilliant dresses will glow in the sky. As the rain- 
bow, they will arch the heavens when we arrive, to 
show me they are near to welcome us.’ And sure 
enough, when Prince Asgard and the beautiful 
maiden of the silver dress (who was called Hyndla) 
entered the land of lotus flowers and acacias, they 
saw, arching the heavens, a magniflcent rainbow. 

‘‘The people greeted them with cries of joy, and 
gave them a magnificent wedding, for they were 
grateful to Princess Hyndla and her seven sisters, 
and they had learned all about her in messages from 
Prince Asgard. On the day he and the Princess 
Hyndla appeared, a great white cloud hovering over 
the city suddenly turned black, and fell in millions 
of sparkling drops upon their fields, and the splen- 
did rainbow soon afterward arched the skies. 

“The Princess Hyndla grew more beautiful each 
day, and as she was wise as she was charming, you 
may be sure her husband loved her dearly. To- 
[ 72 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

gether they planted row after row of handsome trees 
to remind them of Hyndla’s forest home; those green 
trees brought cool shadows, and when the clouds 
floated low to kiss them, the broad branches caught 
and held the moisture. Ever after, rain frequently 
fell in the land. 

Years later, when the children of Hyndla and 
Asgard were old enough, they played in the palace 
gardens, and romped merrily beneath those same 
shade trees, and sometimes they whispered lovingly 
to each other the romantic story of their beautiful 
mother and her rainbow sisters.” 


[ 73 ] 



CHAPTER VI 

HOW THE SUN PRINCESS CAME TO THE EARTH 

O H, how charming the Rainbow Sisters must 
be!” said Ethelda, ‘‘and how I love to 
hear you tell these wonderful stories of 
the Earth! Do you know any more?” 

“Yes,” replied the guide, smiling, “a good many 
more, but what would you like to hear about?” 

“Won’t you tell us of how the Sun Princess hap- 
pened to come to this world?” interrupted a dainty 
little Moon maiden; “I really have never heard it 
exactly, and as we are going to visit her, perhaps 
Princess Ethelda will let us all hear about it?” 

“Most willingly,” replied Ethelda; “I know the 
wonderful story almost by heart, of course, but I 
[ 74 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

never tire of it,” she added, looking tenderly at 
Prince Dorion the while. 

So the guide, with this permission, began: — 

In the Land of the Sun there was once a 
Palace of Wisdom, where all the science in the uni- 
verse could be studied. Of course this Palace of 
Wisdom became very famous. Far and wide it was 
heard of, so that from all parts came representative 
young men to study and become wise. Now, the 
ruler of the Sun lands was a powerful king, possess- 
ing many sons, but only one daughter, the Princess 
Kuldah. She was a maiden of wonderful beauty. 
Her countenance was so exquisitely lovely, that all 
who looked upon her immediately fell in love with 
her. This caused the young Princess, as well as her 
father, great annoyance, because her suitors became 
legion. One day, however, with the help of her 
maidens she wove a veil of delicate texture, which 
completely concealed her features. In this way, she 
was enabled to go and come throughout her father’s 
vast possessions in comparative ease. 

‘‘Notwithstanding her great indifference toward 
her lovers, kings and princes sought her hand in 
[ 75 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

marriage, but her father (who adored her and could 
deny her nothing ) was secretly well content that 
she chose none of them, but remained always in his 
dominions with him. 

‘‘Tall and of majestic appearance, the Princess 
Kuldah looked the daughter of the Sun King. Her 
eyes were brown and large, with brilliant lights 
within, and her curling brown hair, falling below her 
waist, had caught a little of the golden fire of the 
Sun. Her gleaming white teeth looked like pretty 
little pearls when she smiled. Indeed, she was a 
queenly sight as she drove in her handsome chariot 
toward the Fire Mountains. 

“ These mountains were a great range of gor- 
geous-hued stones, piled very high. Eising in blaz- 
ing splendor, they perpetually sent forth their red 
beams in dazzling streams of light across the Sun 
country. But the heat and glare of her home — 
which would have burned and killed an earth maiden 
— were but life-giving elements to the Sun Princess. 
She loved the glitter of her country, and no glare 
seemed too great for her. The palace where she 
dwelt was built of the brightest, yellowest gold to 
[ 76 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

be found, and she moved through it a splendid vision 
of beauty. 

‘‘Her favorite ride was toward the Fire Moun- 
tains. One morning as she drove the fiery steeds 
toward their flaming heights her horses became un- 
manageable. Pull as she would, she could not con- 
trol them; they went like the wind at his greatest 
fury. She had outrun all her companions in her 
mad race, and she was in the most imminent danger 
of being killed. At this critical moment there arose 
in her path a tall and handsome young man. The 
horses were as startled as the young Princess at this 
sudden appearance, and for a moment, in alarm, 
slackened their speed. It was in this second of hesi- 
tation that the young man leaped into the chariot 
beside Kuldah, and snatched the reins from her 
hands. It took but a few moments of his great 
strength to subdue the enraged animals completely, 
and in a little while they were trotting along quiet- 
ly, as if nothing had happened. 

“Then of course the grateful Princess turned to 
thank her preserver. In her excitement (when she 
had lost control of the horses), she had thrown back 
[ 77 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

her veil, and the young man found himself steadily 
gazing into her beautiful countenance. Strive as he 
would, he could not resist the love that surged in 
his heart as he looked upon her. But although he 
was falling in love rapidly, he had heard too much 
of the haughty Princess’s coldness and indifference 
to feel sure of winning her. He guessed at once it 
was she, because he had heard she was the loveliest 
being in the Sun world, but he determined he would 
not yield to her influence and become one of her 
suitors. The Princess’s own feelings, when she looked 
at the young man, surprised her very much. He 
was so modest and dignified, and withal so hand- 
some and charming, that she could not help wonder- 
ing who he was. He was certainly not one of her 
suitors, for she had never seen him before. This 
young man, too, seemed quite indifferent to her at- 
tractions, and talked to her very seriously about driv- 
ing her horses, and showed her how to manage the 
reins in case they tried to run away again. She 
might have been just a plain girl for all the admira- 
tion he showed. At first this indifference pleased 
her; later she rebelled a little against it. 

[ 78 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

‘‘She learned he was a young Prince who had 
been studying in the Palace of Wisdom. This 
astonished her still more, for although he had been 
in her country some time he had never sought her 
out at all. He had come to the land of the Sun to 
study its fire and flame, and he was evidently ab- 
sorbed only in that study. The Princess was so 
astonished to learn all these facts, and to observe 
his indifference to her famous beauty ( which was 
proved by his not seeking her hand in marriage), 
that she forgot to lower her veil, and sat talking 
to him much longer than she otherwise would have 
done. Finally remembering, she covered her face, 
but not before she had asked him to call at the 
palace and let her father thank him properly for 
having saved her life. 

“The young man secretly determined he would 
not accept her invitation, for he had already learned 
to love her, and feared the usual fate of her suitors. 
However, when the hour approached the next day 
he could not resist the temptation to see once more 
the lovely Princess; after that he found many ex- 
cuses to call, and managed each day to see her. 

[ 79 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

‘‘But the wonderful part of it all was, that 
Kuldah took as much pleasure in his company as 
he did in hers. So later, when he asked her to 
marry him she said yes, right on the spot, fearing 
to delay, lest he might go off and become as indif- 
ferent as he was at first, and never come back again. 

“ He was very happy when she said yes, and 
thus far everything had gone very smoothly for 
them both; but when they went in to see the old 
King their troubles began. Kuldah was wreathed 
in smiles, and Prince Minio looked very happy and 
proud. The old King, who had never supposed for 
one minute that his daughter would accept any man, 
— having refused so many, — had one day rashly 
promised all the suitors that, if she ever made a 
choice, they should each have a fair chance to win 
her. This, of course, was the cause of the lovers’ 
trouble now. The Princess was indignant that her 
father should have made such a promise about her. 
She considered herself free to choose for herself. 
So she stormed and wept about it as only a Sun 
Princess could do, and declared she would never, 
never marry any man but the man she loved. 

[ 80 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

“But her old father, who was so indulgent and 
yielding with her usually, remained firm in his de- 
cision, and said he could not break a promise once 
made, for that would not be honorable. Therefore, 
the very next day he announced to everybody that 
a contest in skill and science should take place be- 
tween the suitors for her hand. The Princess was 
very unhappy, of course, during the days that fol- 
lowed, but Prince Minio cheered her by saying he 
felt equal to winning her in a fair contest. His 
love was far greater than that of the others, and 
therefore he felt assured he would learn a way to 
win her for his bride in spite of them all. 

“When the great day for the contest came, a 
large gathering of the suitors was held in an open 
field at the foot of the Fire Moimtains. They were 
a fine and noble company of young men who con- 
tended for Kuldah’s hand, and her father said she 
should have felt proud and glad at such a sight. 
But she was too sad to feel proud. She had dressed 
as became a Sun Princess, and her gown was of 
finely spun gold, embroidered in diamonds. Her 
white arms and throat gleamed through the thin 
[ 81 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 


gauze dress, and a girdle of diamonds encircled her 
slender waist. From her shoulders fell a train, which 
swept for yards behind her, and a narrow gold band 
held ^her beautiful hair in place. For her hair hung 
about her in loose masses, falling far below her 
waist, and mingling its burnt-gold color with that 
of her brilhant dress, so that one could hardly tell 
where one ended and the other began. As she 
stood she looked like a golden Princess, except that 
her face was as pale as the fleecy clouds overhead. 

‘‘In her majestic beauty she let them kneel and 
kiss her hand. Each one, as he touched her hand, 
swore in turn to be faithful and true to the knight 
who should win her, but each one believed secretly 
he himself would be the winner. Then began the 
tournament of skill. One showed how he could 
ride ; another how he could mount and dismount, 
or how he could unhorse an enemy; a third used 
the gloves or the sword with wonderful dexterity; 
another engaged in a trial of strength, or swiftness 
in running; and so on until the long list was com- 
pleted. 

“It seemed to the Princess, as she watched in 

[ 82 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

despair their wonderful deeds, that there was^ nothing 
left for her beloved even to attempt. The suitors 
had all done such marvellous things; and her heart 
ached within her when she learned from one of her 
handmaidens that her lover was the last to appear 
on the lists. Yet, when he did step forth, calm and 
serene, her heart leaped again to her throat, her 
confidence returned; for he looked strong and hand- 
some, and it was only with pride and pleasure she 
gazed upon him. She leaned forward with a smil- 
ing face to listen to his words, for he was speak- 
ing. 

“ ‘ 0 mighty King of the Sun,’ he was saying. 
‘I have one request to make of you before begin- 
ning my experiment. If successful in what I under- 
take, I want your consent to take the Princess away 
with me from the Sun lands. What I shall try to 
accomplish to-day is but the beginning of a great prob- 
lem I wish to work out. It may take thousands of 
years to complete, and I wish to live in a land of my 
own choosing, that I may be able to accomplish it.’ 

‘‘The Sun King, astonished at these words, hesi- 
tated to grant such a remarkable request, but the 
[ 83 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

Princess threw herself at her father’s feet, and added 
her pleadings to the Prince’s. Finally the Sun 
King reluctantly consented ; but the other suitors 
smiled broadly among themselves, as they heard the 
words, for no matter what the Prince might do they 
believed he never could show more skill or wisdom 
than they had already displayed. 

^‘Having bowed smilingly to the King and kissed 
Kuldah’s hand. Prince Minio turned to his competi- 
tors and said : ‘ I have made a close study of the 
Sun’s fire, and I am convinced that, no matter 
where this fire is sent, it will continue to burn and 
hold its remarkable glint and its quickening power. 
It will never be extinguished, but glow brilliantly 
for ever. Therefore, my experiment in skill to-day 
sl^all be made from it alone; it will serve my pur- 
pose better than anything else.’ So saying, he picked 
up a huge bowlder from the Fire Mountain nearest 
him. The stone was so big that it seemed impos- 
sible for any one to lift it. But the Prince gathered 
it up in his arms with a terrific effort, and balan- 
cing it perfectly threw it far out into the heavens. 
It boimded away and rolled into space with tremen- 
[ 84 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

dous force, making a whirring noise as it dashed 
along. Again and again he lifted out the big rocks 
and tossed them off in the distance. It seemed as 
if he would never tire of this remarkable exhibition 
of strength. Hundreds and thousands of the bril- 
liantly burning stones went whizzing through space, 
before the eyes of the astonished spectators. Yet he 
continued, calmly throwing more and more stones, 
until the heavens fairly gleamed with millions of 
burning lights. Thus were the star fires first kindled, 
and they were truly a magnificent sight, even to the 
Sun people, accustomed as they were to splendid 
spectacles. 

^^As the Prince predicted, the stars have never 
lost their brilliancy, the Sun’s power to warm and 
enliven all creatures has proved very strong and 
lasting, and those splendid, flaming signals light the 
turquoise-blue skies every night, even to this day. 

‘‘Finally, Prince Minio selected with great care 
seven superb stones, even brightear than the rest, and 
threw them not quite so far from the Sun. In this 
way they felt the Sun’s influence more strongly ; 
though they flew to a good distance they always 
[ 85 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

revolved about their old home. Whizzing and whirl- 
ing continually, yet never flying away from the Sun, 
they appeared to the spectators to be the prettiest 
of all the stars in the sky. Then the Prince, turn- 
ing to the Princess, who was bewildered with the 
joy of his brilliant success, bade her choose from 
the seven stars the one that should be their home. 
She chose what she thought the loveliest of all the 
seven, and they named it the Earth! 

‘^The old King unhesitatingly pronounced Prince 
Minio the victor. For he acknowledged that, be- 
side the great strength the Prince had displayed in 
lifting the stones from Fire Mountain, the Sun peo- 
ple had never before witnessed such a glorious sight 
as the star-studded heavens; and even the suitors, 
though much disappointed, consented in a manly 
way that he should take Princess Kuldah as his 
bride, saying he had fairly won her. 

“ Shortly afterward a marriage of magniflcence 
and splendor followed, and Prince Minio and his 
charming wife came to the Earth to spend many 
years. The Earth, owing allegiance to the Sun, never 
loses sight of him, and though she continues to rush 
[ 86 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

through space at a terrible rate, yet the Sun King 
always sees her. 

‘‘Out of the white mist on the Earth came troop- 
ing a wonderful band of little creatures to greet the 
Sun people.^ They were very tiny; their skirts of 
silver glistened like the moonlight, and their jewelled 
wands sparkled like the dew. These little creatures 
were fairies, and ever after dwelt among the Earth 
children, helping to beautify the world. They wander 
about us in the moonshine and are sometimes caught 
in the mist, but they can never come out in the 
sunlight. One of the laws in Fairyland is to be in 
bed before the dawn. From dusk until dawn the 
fairies lead a gay life. They hold their revels, they 
dance, and they travel the world over, frolicking like 
mad sometimes, but only the Moon’s white light 
shines on their silver dresses. 

“Many other charming people adopted the Earth 
as their home, for it was beautiful to live upon. 
The Sun Princess and her husband did not object 
to others coming to their home at all, only, as the 
strangers came in great numbers, they finally decided 
to set apart a great space for themselves alone. 
[ 87 J 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

They reserved, therefore, a charming bit of country 
for the Prince’s workshop, otherwise there would 
have been so many interruptions Prince Minio could 
never hope to accomplish his scientific work. Charm- 
ing as the Earth people were, they interfered with 
the Prince’s heart’s desire. Therefore, he and his 
friends from the Sun chose a wonderful valley which 
lay in the heart of a great range of mountains. The 
valley covered many miles of ground, and it had the 
most sublime scenery in the world. Eivers ran 
through it, and big mountains rose suddenly in its 
midst. Small silver lakes also shone like crystal 
mirrors. Wonderful springs abounded there; boiling 
water came out of one, while from the next shot up 
cool and deliciously sparkling drops. They called 
the bubbling, spouting springs geysers, and people 
come from all over the world to see and study them. 

After the Sun people had reserved the country, 
the Earth people never remained long on that spot; 
they recognized the law and accepted it, only mak- 
ing short visits to the marvellous place. Sometimes, 
if one mortal, more daring than the rest, determined 
to live there, and built him a house, he was promptly 
[ 88 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

punished, for the fairies at once opened a geyser di- 
rectly under the carefully chosen home and destroyed 
it entirely. So this beautiful valley of yellow stones 
and brilliant lights and rushing waters is left to the 
Sun Princess and her people. It is certainly a valley 
of enchantment, for it is never very cold and never 
very hot there, but is an ideal workshop for a Prince. 
The geysers and boiling pools are just the escaping 
gas and steam of his big furnaces; for the fires in 
his furnaces under the earth are kept burning day 
and night. It is all very mysterious. In one part 
he has a big hot lake, and in another an ice-cold 
one. The cold lake is shaped like a human hand, 
and near it is a big fountain that dashes up clouds 
of white spray, hundreds of feet high, flecking the 
green surface of the water with foam. 

‘‘Nothing can be more beautiful than this en- 
chanted valley. The fairies are busy beautifying it 
all the time. They have painted the colors of the 
rainbow in the rocks, and the great canyon looks 
now as if millions of jewels were piled up there. 
For it is a bewildering mass of color. Amethyst, 
topaz, and emerald tints sparkle everywhere, and 

[ 89 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 


when the sunshine pours down on it you feel as if 
all the wealth of the world must be hidden in the 
rocks, for they sparkle like diamonds and rubies. As 
the years go on the valley grows more beautiful, for 
the Sun Prince and his bride watch it by day, — and 
of course as the fairies have charge at night it is 
never neglected. 

‘^When the Sun Prince has finished his great 
labors and solved his problem, of course, he will 
close his workshop, and with his lovely bride go 
back to their home in the Golden Palace of the Sun. 
But until then his workshop fires will burn. The 
geysers and fountains will spout up great volumes 
of water and steam, making the valley one of the 
wonders of the world. And all the Earth mortals 
who go there will be made welcome by the fairies.” 


[ 90 ] 



CHAPTER VII 


THE STORY OF THE JEWELLED BEACH 

D O you wonder that I love the story?” said 
Princess Ethelda, as the guide finished. 

Oh.” replied the Moon maidens, almost 
in one voice, ^‘it is an enchanting history, indeed.” 

‘‘See,” replied the guide messenger, pointing in 
the distance to a high mountain, “ beyond that 
mountain lies the Beautiful Valley of which I have 
just told you.” 

In a little while the merry party had reached 
the mountain top, and stood gazing in a bewilder- 
ment of pleasure at the wonderful valley below. 
Exquisite lakes and shining silver rivers lay beneath; 
beautiful hills stretched away in the distance; and 
the glorious colors in the rocks, which the fairies 

[ 91 ] 



THE MOON PRINCESS 

had painted so vividly, reflected the pinks and yellows 
in a growing radiance that lighted up the whole 
valley in splendor. Innumerable rays flashed out in 
little threadlike flames, flooding the world below in 
a blaze of color. 

^‘How magnificent it is!” exclaimed the visitors; 
and the guide was well pleased with their admiration. 

I could never describe to you properly the enter^ 
tainments that followed their arrival, nor the joy of 
Dorion and Ethelda in meeting the beautiful Sun 
Princess. Princess Kuldah was as beautiful as 
ever, and spared no pains to make her brother and 
his bride and their companions welcome. The 
Prince, her husband, showed them his wonderful 
workshop, and they marvelled over the geysers, and 
listened with awe to the description of his great 
problem. 

The days seemed all too short, and the guests 
were surprised when the time for their departure 
arrived. The feasting and dancing and sight-seeing 
were at last ended in the valley of enchantment; one 
glorious morning they rose with the Sun, and bidding 
good-bye to Princess Kuldah and her people, started 
[ 92 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

to meet the black dwarf of the mountains. The 
same guide would accompany them to the place 
where they were to meet him. The Princess saw 
none of them felt much desire to go; Ethelda was 
particularly downcast, still she bore up bravely, and 
with a smiling face she began the journey. 

Although Ethelda and her companions were 
charmed with the splendors of the deep, they were 
still more impressed with delight over the new 
beauties they discovered upon the land. They had 
seen the glittering mountains of the Moon and the 
fiery craters of the Sun, and had wondered at such 
magnificence, but the Earth’s fresh coloring was a 
revelation. And the Earth had decked herself right 
royally to receive them. The month was April, 
and the world, rioting in fiowers, was afiame with 
color. The poppies, yellow and scarlet, burst forth 
from the meadows’ tenderest green. The white pet- 
ailed, yellow centred daisies came out in thousands 
to greet them, while the roses, pink and white and 
red, fiashed everywhere. The trees, too, dressed in 
the earliest Spring green, nodded and waved their 
long branches in a glad welcome, and the tiny 
[ 93 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

wood violet, modest and sweet, sent forth its per- 
fumed breath in waves of delight, filling the air 
with sweetness. 

‘ ‘ W onderful — wonderful ! ” cried Ethelda, throw- 
ing herself in an ecstasy of pleasure upon the soft 
greensward, and gathering handfuls of the fiowers to 
weave into garlands. ‘‘I should like to live here 
always,” she said. The Sun Prince shared his 
bride’s delight, but he whispered cautiously : Take 

care, sweetheart. Eemember a Moon maiden and a 
Sun Prince can only visit for a twelvemonth. A 
longer stay would be dangerous; it would keep us 
here for ever.” 

‘‘0, yes,” answered Ethelda; ‘‘I was hardly in 
earnest when I spoke, for I could not leave my 
beloved mother sorrowing. Yet I am very happy 
here.” 

Days of pleasure passed, on the journey. Days 
of wonderment too. When the strangers saw how 
the small seed planted in the ground — warmed by 
the sun and watered by the rain — throve and became 
a tiny blade of grass, a delicate fiower, or a mag- 
nificent tree, this seemed a miracle to them, for 
[ 94 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

nothing ever grows out of the soil of the Moon or 
the Sun. 

One day as they stood on the top of a high 
mountain they saw a very strange sight. A great 
sea lay shining in the distance, sparkling and glitter- 
ing in gold and blue. It washed the shores of 
magnificent valleys and rich gardens. Fruits and 
flowers grew in abundance, but the strange sight lay 
in the fact that the valleys and fruit gardens stretch- 
ing out so broadly suddenly stopped at a line of 
yellow sand, — stopped so abruptly that it seemed 
almost a straight line, it was so clean cut, — and the 
sand covered hundreds and hundreds of miles of the 
Earth. 

‘‘How queer it looks!” they said among them- 
selves; “not a blade of grass, not a tree, on the bar- 
ren waste! We have never seen anything like it 
before. What is it]” 

“It will take two stories to explain that wonder- 
ful view lying before us,” replied the guide. 

“Oh, do tell them!” cried the Moon people in 
chorus; “we love stories”; and they settled them- 
selves to listen. 


[ 95 1 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

‘‘Well,” began the guide, “the first relates to 
the Princess Ethelda.” 

“To me?” asked the Princess in astonishment. 

“Yes,” answered the messenger; “look closely at 
the sea beach and tell me what you see.” 

“Why, great shining jewels seem strewn over the 
yellow sands,” said the Princess, perfectly amazed; 
and in turn each of the Moon people saw the same. 

“Well,” continued the messenger, turning to the 
Princess, “when her Imperial Majesty of the Moon 
consented to your coming to visit the Earth on your 
bridal trip, she ordered many wedding presents for 
you, and in finishing the loveliest that she gave you, 
it came about that that beach was formed. But I 
will begin the story of the Jewelled Beach. 

“The Moon was shining through a turquoise-blue 
sky. Now and then a baby cloud passed before her 
face, but it was so white and airy that it did not 
even hide the dazzling lights of her silver palace. 
One could see them perfectly well, shining through 
the handsome windows. 

“ Serenely beautiful the Moon Queen moved 
through her star-studded pathway. She was calm 
[ 96 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

and majestic. As she swung around the celestial 
circle that night she leaned down lower to watch 
the golden gleam of a small star shining far in the 
distance. For many reasons that particular star had 
occupied her mind of late, and that evening she 
seemed even more intent upon it than ever. How 
beautiful it was! Of all the millions of glittering 
points embroidered on the sky, that small one stood 
out the brightest. In bold relief its dancing lights 
sped out over the heavens in friendly twinkle toward 
the Moon. 

“ The Moon Queen smiled to herself as she 
watched, and then out from the jewelled windows of 
her home suddenly leaped a brilliant crystal light to 
meet the star rays. From that moment her Imperial 
Majesty made up her mind on a subject she had 
long thought of. Turning to one of her handmaid- 
ens who stood near, she bade her summon the 
master mechanic of her empire; when this had been 
done, and the man stood before her, she asked, in 
liquid tones, ‘How many workmen do I employ in 
the silver mountains ? ’ 

“‘Ah, your Majesty,’ was the reply, ‘you have 

[ 97 1 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

SO many thousands employed there, that it is almost 
impossible to say/ 

^‘‘Good,’ replied the Queen thoughtfully, G have 
sore need of thousands now. Bid them all meet me 
to-morrow. Call them together at the foot-hills of 
the mountains. Let no man be missing; from the 
greatest artist in your shops to the humblest work- 
man, let not a sprite dare to forget my com- 
mand ! ’ 

^‘The master mechanic promised obedience, and 
bowing low left her presence. 

‘‘When the hour arrived that the Queen had 
named, there gathered at the foot-hills of the moun- 
tains all her little workmen. Thousands and thou- 
sands of tiny sprites were there, and they glittered 
from head to toe in shining silver garments; silver 
dust powdered them until their clothes looked white 
as frost, and when they moved their sheen was like 
costly jewels. Talking together, they were wonder- 
ing why the Queen should have commanded them to 
meet her at their busiest hour. Except that she was 
not fond of idlers, and required prompt and vigorous 
work from her people, she was a gentle mistress; 
[ 98 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

but now, when they were rushing with the wedding 
presents for the marriage of her favorite daughter 
(which was soon to occur), she had called them 
from their shops. It surely seemed unwise. All 
work had ceased, for not a sprite in all Moonland 
was missing. What could it mean? 

‘^At last her Majesty appeared. Her great reti- 
nue of nobles and gorgeously dressed maidens 
accompanied her, and with music and gay laughter 
they came nearer. Presently the sprites saw the 
Queen bid her attendants stop where they stood, 
and unaccompanied she approached the gallant army 
of her little workmen. She was well worthy the 
cheers of admiration that broke from their lips as 
she neared them. Tall and magnificent in form, she 
looked every inch a Queen, yet her bright blue eyes 
glowed with a tender light of love, showing a gentle 
nature, as she bowed her thanks for their affection- 
ate greetings. Her long, fair hair fioated softly 
about her, sometimes clinging to her white dress like 
threads of gold, and at her slender waist was gath- 
ered a graceful silver girdle, caught with a diamond 
crescent. At last, in all her splendor, she stood 
[ 99 ] 


LOfc; 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

among them, and as she raised her hand asking for 
silence, absolute silence fell upon them. 

good and loyal subjects,’ she began, 
have come to-day to intrust you with an important 
but secret work. No one in all the kingdom save 
yourselves must know of it. When all is completed, 
I myself will divulge the secret to my people, and I 
believe it will gladden them. But until then will you 
faithfully promise to help me and to keep my counsel ? ’ 
^‘‘Beloved Queen,’ they answered in one loud 
voice, ^your will is ours; we will obey you gladly.’ 

^^‘Then listen, friends and subjects,’ the Queen 
continued with smiling face, ‘for this is my com- 
mand: That you make me a splendid silver ladder! 
Step by step must it be wrought, and with greatest 
care, for it must stretch out miles and miles in 
length. Strong as bands of steel each round must 
be, but finer in its texture than the gossamer web 
of the spider. Weave it with the fairies’ touch, 
making it exquisitely light, yet so bright withal 
that it can easily be seen for thousands of miles. 
Spare neither care nor labor, beloved subjects, for 
the ladder must be mine within the week.’ 

[ 100 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

‘^Days and nights the hammers of the little 
workmen rang out clearly, like notes of merry music, 
and the Moon people said among themselves, ^What 
gorgeous wedding presents our little Princess will 
receive!’ But they never dreamed of the mysterious 
ladder of glistening silver steps. And the Queen 
Mother kept her counsel. Only, each night as she 
sailed across the jewel-laden heavens, she leaned 
closer to the Earth Star and studied it. 

“ She saw great valleys and snow-clad moun- 
tains, barren deserts and limpid blue seas. She saw, 
too, great forests and boundless plains; but though 
her searching eye looked upon every inch of that 
beautiful bright ball whirling through space, she 
thought the loveliest spot on the whole globe was 
on the borders of the largest ocean. That ocean 
was so big that it measured just one half the star 
itself. All the other oceans and the land together 
could be taken up and put upon its broad blue 
surface. 

‘^This splendid body of water washed the foot 
of a glorious country. Big mountains, raising their 
purple heads among the clouds, crept down to feel 
[ 101 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 


its cooling depths. Or, higher still, they reared their 
lofty peaks and held them scornfully aloft ; and 
thus, capped with perpetual snow, they stood beauti- 
ful and glorified. Great plains stretched back from 
its curving yellow beach, and all the fruit one could 
name grew in the rich valleys. It was the gar- 
den spot of the world. Amid its groves of yellow 
oranges and lemons birds sang deliciously; flowers 
bloomed throughout the year, and the skies were 
nearly always sunny. In this earthly paradise palms 
lazily waved their feathery green arms, and trees 
grew so big that houses could be cut out of a single 
trunk. Here it was that the Moon Queen’s eye 
lingered longest, and it was almost with a child’s 
delight she saw the big blue waves roll in and 
break upon the sand in a fringe of soft white foam. 

‘‘The week had passed, and the Queen’s ladder 
was ready. One by one its silver steps were tested; 
ring by ring its loops were firmly fastened and bound 
together; for, dainty as it looked, the ladder must 
be strong for constant use. 

“When all was ready the sprites were cautiously 
sent with it on a secret mission to the Earth. None 
[ 102 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 


but the Moon Queen knew their errand; but she 
smiled to herself, for after all, when completed, it 
was to be a wedding present and surprise to her 
favorite daughter. 

‘‘Down from the palace crept the little people, 
carrying their silver treasure. The night being dark, 
they reached the Earth without being discovered. 
In a little while they found the ocean beach the 
Queen so loved, — for it was here the first jewelled 
rounds of that sparkling ladder should be laid. By 
the soft light of the stars, the sprites saw that the 
Earth was very beautiful; but what were those queer, 
sad sounds they heard, mingling with the breaking 
of the waves upon the beach ? The workmen 
stopped to listen, and caught the strains of music; 
then, looking closely at the water, they saw a line of 
lovely maidens, with fiowing golden hair, which they 
continually combed as they sang. The Moon sprites 
were quite astonished at the sight. The maidens 
were surpassingly beautiful, but their song was very 
sad. 

“‘Who are you, and why do you sing so sadly?’ 
they called. 


[ 103 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 


‘‘‘Alas!’ replied tlie charming creatures, ‘we are 
mermaids. Our father is the Sea King. We have 
always been as happy as the day is long, until a few 
years ago, when a terrible misfortune came upon us. 
One of the prettiest of our sisters was about to be 
married. We were busy with the preparations for 
her wedding, gathering the seaweed and the pretty 
mother-of-pearl shells that float up on the land, to 
decorate her palace. We had searched carefully our 
large and magniflcent sea-gardens for the finest speci- 
mens of weed and shells. But a beautiful shell, 
brilliantly tinted in every shade of rose and green 
and blue combined, had been thrown high upon the 
sandy beach, out of our reach. Our dear sister be- 
came too venturesome, and floating on a big wave 
she grasped the shell she coveted. 

“‘At that moment, the hideous Gnome King 
sprang suddenly from behind a rock, and snatching 
her in his arms ran off. In vain we pleaded with 
him to restore our lost darling. The cruel monster 
only laughed, and swore she should become his wife. 
Her bridegroom of the Sea was almost beside him- 
self with grief when he learned the awful news. He 
[ 104 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

offered his life in exchange for hers, and we gathered 
together all our jewels for her ransom. But nothing 
would move the hard heart of the wicked Gnome 
King, and he still keeps our beloved sister in his 
power. That is why we sing so mournfully. The 
monster, finding she would not marry him, carried 
her to the top of a high mountain, where she could 
see her beloved home, hut never reach it. 

‘‘‘She is helpless upon the land, and though she 
can look down at the foot of the mountains and see 
the curling waters of her home, she cannot reach it. 
Her lover sits below, encouraging her with words of 
love, but he is helpless to reach her. Miserable and 
longing for home, she watches all the ships that 
pass, and with her lute sings the most wonderful 
songs, begging the sailors to rescue her. Many have 
tried, and the mountain-side is white with the bones 
of those who have perished in the attempt. For the 
Gnome King makes mad those who try to save her; 
they lose their way and die. 

“‘Alas, kind friends, unless you will help us, we 
fear she is lost to us for ever.’ 

“ The kind-hearted Moon sprites were certainly 

[ 105 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

touched by this pathetic tale, and they determined 
among themselves that they would form a plan to 
outwit the cruel Gnome King, and rescue the sea 
maid. Of course to do this they would have to 
delay a little the planting of the Moon ladder, but 
they felt that her Imperial Majesty would certainly 
have consented to delay in such a case. So, gather- 
ing up their precious burden, they climbed the moun- 
tain to seek the sea maid. 

‘^Knowing that she could never reach her sisters 
alone, and enchanting all the mortals who tried to 
rescue her, the Gnome King had no guard to watch 
the maiden. She was left entirely alone upon a big 
rock overlooking the ocean. The wicked king came 
at rare intervals to see if she would consent to 
marry him, but otherwise she was left undisturbed. 

‘‘The Moon sprites, however, were not affected 
by the King’s enchantments, so they had no difficulty 
in reaching her. Suddenly the mermaid saw a gleam 
of brilliant silver flooding the darkness behind her, 
and in a moment she was surrounded by a thousand 
little silver-dressed creatures. At the same moment 
the Moon sprites caught sight of a glimmering 
[ 106 ] 



GLIMMERING fgure sitting/ on a. Jii(/h cliff.” 


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THE MOON PRINCESS 

figure of matchless beauty sitting on a high cliff. 
The maiden was a vision of loveliness. Long, wav- 
ing, golden hair floated about her, and her eyes 
were the color of the sea. She held a lute in her 
hand; as her fingers moved softly across it, it gave 
forth a weird but beautiful sound, and to this accom- 
paniment she sang charmingly. Quickly the Moon 
sprites told her of the plan for rescuing her, and 
joyfully she listened. 

‘‘They carefully suspended the silver ladder from 
her mountain cliflf. Holding it tight between them 
to steady it, they flung it swiftly down until its bril- 
liant steps touched the trembling water. At this 
moment they heard a faint noise like rumbling thun- 
der, and the affrighted maiden bade them hurry 
with their work, as it was the signal that the 
Gnome King would soon visit her. In a twinkling 
they seized the maiden in their arms, and carried 
her down the brilliant steps. They were not a 
moment too soon, for hardly had they placed the 
maiden in her bridegroom’s arms and picked up their 
ladder, when the Gnome King and his legion of 
wicked gnomes were swarming on the mountain-top. 

[ 107 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 


‘^The rage of the wicked King was fearful to 
see, but it was useless. He could not regain the 
mermaid and be could not barm a Moon sprite; but 
in bis anger be pelted tbe beacb witb stones, vent- 
ing bis fury in destroying its beauty. Small but 
ugly, tbey fell in thousands, covering tbe golden yel- 
low of tbe sand, and hiding its glistening splendor. 
Thus be showered bis spite upon the beautiful play- 
ground of the mermaids. 

‘‘But tbe Sea King’s daughters were too happy 
over the return of their beloved sister to fret very 
much. True, their charmingly beautiful beach seemed 
ruined, but their beloved sister was home again. 
Thousands, indeed millions, of little stones were piled 
about in ugly confusion, and marred the soft, bright 
sand the sea people so loved, but they were power- 
less to prevent it. The Moon sprites went back to 
their work of fastening the moon-ladder to the 
Earth, and the Sea King invited them to remain for 
his daughter’s wedding the next night. 

“The wedding spectacle was certainly a grand 
one, for the Ocean Monarch had ordered the great- 
est fireworks in his kingdom in honor of the event. 

[ 108 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

The sea blazed up as though it were burning. 
Flames seemed to leap and flare up everywhere, and 
thousands of brilliant colors mixed and trembled in 
its depths. The phosphorescence was wonderful, and 
wherever the eye could reach, the brilliant lights 
shone and sparkled. The Moon sprites were amazed 
at such magniflcence. The night was as brilliant 
and beautiful as day; and they felt that the wonders 
of the Earth world were great indeed. 

“Just then a messenger arrived from her Imperial 
Majesty of the Moon, saying that she had watched 
her workmen rescuing the maiden, and had seen the 
wedding festival and the splendid illumination, and 
before recalling her little people to the Moon, she 
wished to give the bride a present. The wicked 
Gnome King had tried to ruin the playground of the 
mermaids, but she would restore it, making it more 
interesting and fascinating than ever. 

“It was a royal gift the Moon Queen gave. She 
said that henceforth the beach should be enchanted. 
The hideous stones the gnomes had thrown should 
not ruin it after all, but should make it more pre- 
cious to the world, for they should all turn to shining 
[ 109 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

jewels. She chose to make the white pebbles the 
loveliest of them all, and so change them that the 
sea people could never forget her. These stones 
shone as clear as crystal, and in the pure depths of 
each one there trembled a moon-ray, a memento 
of her crystal kingdom. This brilliant ray glistened 
like a diamond, caught and held a prisoner, and 
was from that day called the moonstone. But it was 
hard indeed to choose the prettiest of the beach 
jewels. For opals clear as water, and with fire from 
the sea, sparkled beside the moonstones ; sardonyx, 
chrysoprase, and emerald, jasper, aquamarine, and 
topaz, were piled so high that the beach was soon 
most widely known. 

‘‘ The Earth people come in hundreds to seek 
these treasures, making them into precious neck- 
laces and charms. But though they carry thousands 
and thousands away with them each day, the mer- 
maids smile and do not mind at all, because the 
Moon-ladder, uncoiling every night in sparkling bril- 
liancy, reaches down from the silver palace and 
touches the beach like a magician’s wand, and the 
mermaids know that so long as the shining steps 
[ 110 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

of brilliant silver shall rest upon these sands, just 
so long will the beach continue enchanted, and 
splendid jewels be formed in such glittering quanti- 
ties that they will last for ever.” 


[ 111 ] 



CHAPTER VIII * 

THE LOST OCEAN 

HE little company seemed well pleased with 



the explanation of the jewelled beach, but 


as soon as the messenger ceased, they asked 


for the explanation of the trackless sands. 

‘‘That is a longer story; shall I tell it now?” 
was the reply. 

“0 yes, do,” said the Princess Ethelda. “We 
are not a bit tired, and it is so pleasant to look 
down on the very spot while you tell us.” 

Thus encouraged, the guide messenger began: — 

“Ages ago, when the world was young, three 
great Kings ruled in the universe, the Sun King, the 
Ocean King, and the Earth King. The Earth King 
owned all the land of the world, and often travelled 


[ 112 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 


over it, watching it and caring for it. He was fre- 
quently accompanied by his favorite daughter, the 
beautiful Princess Selene. She was a graceful 
maiden of about eighteen. Her lovely brown eyes 
and long, wavy, golden-brown hair, and her white 
skin and pink cheeks, made her a very charming 
picture indeed. Being a fun-loving, merry little 
maiden, her cheerful disposition made her a delight- 
ful companion, so her father was always pleased to 
have her travel with him. 

^^On one of these journeys the young Princess 
seemed more serious than usual, and one morning 
she came to her father with a request which greatly 
surprised him. However, when he found her heart 
quite set upon it, he made up his mind to grant it. 
She said she had long contemplated doing her share 
of work in the world, and that she did not think 
she wished always to remain just a fun-loving and 
pleasure-seeking young woman. She asked her father 
to give her a portion of his vast kingdom to culti- 
vate as a garden, declaring she would make it the 
most beautiful garden in the world, a sort of earthly 
paradise. 


[ 113 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 


soon as her father consented to her wish, she 
chose a charming spot. It was on the borders of a 
great sea, and back of it were magnificent mountains. 
A large gulf, too, stood near, whose waters fiowed 
into a shimmering sea beyond. Here Princess Selene, 
having chosen hundreds of companions, took up her 
abode. She planted trees for shade and sowed grass 
for a qmet, restful color, and then she laid out her 
garden according to a well-thought-out plan. 

could never begin to tell you in a short story 
how wonderfully beautiful she made it. Fruit trees 
of all descriptions grew there; lemons and oranges, 
citrons and bananas, peaches and apricots, fiourished 
— everything nice you can think of. She did not 
forget the fiowers, either. Magnolias and acacias, 
poinsettias and jasmines, and every Southern fiower 
you could name, bloomed beautifully. Lovely birds 
fiocked there, and rested in the cool trees, singing 
to the fiowers and filling the garden with delicious 
music. The Princess and her companions worked 
hard and faithfully, and the garden became the most 
charming spot imaginable. All the world talked 
about it and came to visit it. 

[ 114 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

“The country about was very attractive. Great 
snow-capped mountains rose abruptly from the sea, 
and white clouds, nestling down to touch them, 
hovered like angels’ wings above the rich valleys as 
though in protection. The clouds were seldom dark, 
for it rarely rained there, and the sunny blue skies 
seemed to smile perpetually. 

“Now, the powerful Sun King had many sons, 
but one of them was especially handsome, and, 
better than that, he was the soul of honor and 
truth. He was called Prince Corns. He often came 
to Earth to visit the Ocean King’s family, for one 
of the sons was his favorite companion. The two 
young men were inseparable; they were devoted to 
each other, and fond of the same sports. 

“When the Ocean King’s son, Prince Fronto, 
grew to manhood, his father gave him control of a 
smaller kingdom, a beautiful sea that washed the 
shores of Princess Selene’s famous gardens. This 
sea was reached by sailing through the blue waters 
of the gulf; shining and beautiful, it stretched for 
miles and miles through a magnificent country. It 
was on the shores of this sea that the two Princes 

[ 115 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

spent most of their time, and it was here one day 
that they came across the lovely Selene and her 

maidens. Both the young men felt at once that 

they had never before seen anything so perfectly 
charming as the Princess, and they lost no time in 
learning to know her. 

^‘She treated them with the greatest courtesy; 
and in a little while the three had become firm 

friends, and spent many happy hours together. The 
young men did not attempt to disguise from them- 
selves the fact that they both loved this royal 

maiden; but the Sun Prince, in a spirit of nobleness, 
ofiered to leave his friend Pronto alone to win her 
hand, though in losing her he would become the 
most miserable man in the world. Up to this point, 
however. Pronto apparently showed a similar gener- 
osity of spirit, and putting his arm about his friend, 
urged him to remain, saying: ‘We will abide by the 
decision of the Princess. Let her choose between 
us, and whoever wins her love shall marry her, let- 
ting the other suitor swear friendship to them both.’ 

“‘So be it,’ replied the generous Prince Corns, 
for it seemed a fair proposition. ‘Much as I care 
.[ 116 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

for her, I will promise to give her to you gladly if 
she loves you; for, after her, I love you best in 
the world.’ 

‘‘They clasped hands, and swore a solemn oath 
to abide by this agreement. 

“Selene was in no hurry to choose, and seemed 
equally fond of them both. Never by word or sign 
did she show which she preferred. Always together, 
the three wandered through her gardens, plucking 
the fruit or listening to the songs of the birds. The 
two young men came every day to see her, and strove 
to invent plans for her amusement. Corns brought 
his father’s golden chariot, and often the three took a 
mad race across the sky. But the maiden was never 
afraid. She loved the spirited, prancing steeds, and 
their flashing golden harness; and the wild ride 
brought a glorious color to her cheeks. She thrilled 
with pleasure when the rushing wind blew back her 
flowing hair, and her eyes caught a deeper blue from 
the heavens, and sparkled and danced with delight, so 
that Corns and Fronto thought her more bewitching 
than ever. 

“Again, Fronto would invite them to see his 

[ 117 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 


father’s famous sea-gardens, and they would ride 
across the sapphire-blue waves until they reached a 
rocky island. Here they would rest, to watch the 
seals climbing over the rocks. They amused them- 
selves long, laughing at the awkward antics of the 
fat baby seals, who would tumble with loud splashes 
into the water, and then frolic about noisily. The 
Princess loved these famous sea-gardens; they were 
very different from her own, but wonderfully inter- 
esting, nevertheless. Every sea-plant grew there. 
Huge trees of seaweed were plainly seen, and curious 
water-flowers in abundance. Magniflcent shells bor- 
dered the walks, shells dyed with the mystic colors 
of the sea, — blue and green and opalescent, — others 
pink-lined, like the sky at sunset, or brilliant red, 
like the coral reef. Charming gold-flshes swam about 
these water-gardens, and their scales, glowing like 
Are, sent out great sparks of light. Mermaids floated 
through, with long golden hair and starry blue eyes, 
singing low to the music of their lutes. Thus many 
days and weeks were passed, and each hour the young 
Princes grew more madly in love with the charming 
Princess Selene. 


[ 118 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

“At last a day came when they could no longer 
resist asking her to choose between them. But when 
they stood before her, and waited for her answer in 
silence, the fun-loving little Princess suddenly became 
grave, and said most seriously : ‘ Why make me 

choose at all? Your friendship may be broken if I 
do, and I could not bear that.^ 

“‘You need not fear for us, sweet Princess,’ said 
Fronto, ‘for we have sworn an oath, and will not 
break it.’ 

“Selene gazed earnestly at them, not understand- 
ing this reply. Then Corns, pale as death, nodded 
assent, saying: ‘It is even true, fair Selene; as you 
cannot choose but one, we both have promised alle- 
giance to the one you favor. We love you too 
sincerely to do otherwise.’ 

“ A brilliant color dyed Selene’s cheek as she 
heard these words, and turning to Prince Fronto she 
began softly: ‘So be it. We have passed many 
happy hours together, and in my heart. Prince Fronto, 
I have a deep affection for you.’ 

“ Hearing her speak thus. Prince Coras grew very 
white, and turned away to hide his pain, whispering 

[ 119 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

to himself: ‘They shall not see how I suffer. I have 
sworn an oath, and I will keep it.’ 

“But whatever the Princess continued to say to 
the Ocean Prince, it seemed not to please him. 
Finally she said to him, while she turned and bec- 
koned to his friend: ‘Therefore, kind brother of the 
shimmering sea, you must forgive me; for, though I 
love you as a friend, my heart belongs to Corns, 
and him I choose to be my husband.’ 

“The Sun Prince could hardly believe he heard 
aright; but as the beautiful girl turned shyly toward 
him, he caught her hand, and kneeling, kissed it, 
thanking her for his great happiness. 

“ The Ocean Prince showed great surprise at 
Selene’s words, because he had always thought she 
preferred him to Corns; indeed, it was because of this 
he had made the compact so readily. Swiftly now 
his thoughts grew black with anger, but the two 
lovers were talking together and did not notice it. 
Soon he grew calmer; outwardly he seemed to be 
peaceful, and stooping, he too kissed Selene’s hand, 
and swore friendship to the two. 

“Preparations began for the wedding, and each 

[ 120 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

day, as the ceremony drew nearer, Fronto seemed 
happier. He really acted as though he had forgotten 
his wish to marry Selene. This, of course, made 
Corus and his bride more contented; they could not 
bear to be merry, and feel that Fronto was suffering. 
But the Ocean Prince was only pretending. Instantly, 
on leaving the lovers on the day of their betrothal, 
he had gathered together all the little demons and 
wicked imps he knew, and employed them to build 
big mountains on the shores of his sea. Soon pre- 
cipitous mountains gathered in clusters about the 
water’s edge. They seemed only barren rock, as they 
loomed up from the flat sand, like watch-towers 
guarding a prison. Selene and Corus teased the Ocean 
Prince for building such ugly peaks, but he did not 
mind their jests. Finally he had his dominions hedged 
in with a dark-hued rocky range. 

‘‘Then, one day when the Sun Prince was absent, 
he deliberately carried out the plan he had so care- 
fully concealed : he stole the Princess and hid her in 
the caverns of his great mountains. When Corns 
returned, broken-hearted and distressed over the loss 
of his bride and the treachery of his friend, and 
[ 121 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

demanded her release, the Sea Prince absolutely 
refused to give her up — laughing to scorn his 
friend’s demand. 

^‘War, of course, immediately followed. The Sun 
Prince was no slight enemy, for all his father’s pow- 
erful forces were at his command. The heavy bowlders 
piled up by the wretched little fiends the Ocean Prince 
had employed were not easily surmounted, however, 
for they were splendidly built. It would take years 
to pull them down. So Corns determined he would 
not even try. He would rescue his beloved bride in 
a simpler but more powerful manner, and in less time. 

‘‘A great river ran through the country, from the 
inland sea down to the blue waters of the ocean. 
Now, the Sun Prince closed up that river, shutting off 
all communication between the ocean and the inland 
sea. The Sea Prince laughed at first when he saw 
this. He had so much water in his own sea he never 
dreamed it could be exhausted. 

‘‘But now the Sun Prince tried new measures. 
As the tides could not bring the water to the foot 
of the big mountains to replenish them, he sent down 
burning rays upon the sea to dry it up. Evaporation 
[ 122 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

began. Day by day the water decreased, and shrunk 
away slowly from the white face of the sand and the 
red sides of the mountains. 

‘‘A hundred feet of the water fell quickly, and 
then Fronto saw that the Sun Prince, in drying up 
the water, could doom him and his followers to death. 
Panic-stricken, he restored the Princess, and begged 
for mercy. 

Corns, though happy to have his beloved bride 
again, felt that the awful crime Fronto had committed 
should not be treated lightly. His punishment must 
serve as a warning to the world. Still, at the request 
of his gentle-hearted bride, he forgave his false friend, 
and sent him back safe with his companions to the 
Ocean King. However, he forced Fronto to remain 
in his father^s dominions for ever, saying that he had 
proven, by his treachery, he was unfit to govern a 
kingdom of his own. Moreover, that kingdom should 
exist no longer. He would dry it up and make it a 
huge desert, to mark the spot of a false friend’s 
perfidy. 

‘‘So the Sun never relaxed his fierce gaze, nor 
the wind its hot breath. Together they scorched the 
[ 123 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

seabed until the water disappeared, and the bottom 
looked like a huge white bowl. Then slowly the 
desert formed. The fierce heat became so intense 
that even the rains refused to fall there, and the earth 
was too salty to allow anything to grow. Every living 
creature shunned it. Neither bird nor beast would 
visit it, and thus it remained for thousands of years. 

‘‘When you are in the bottom of this bowl, you 
are nearly three hundred feet below the ocean. Upon 
all sides are great mountains, some over ten thousand 
feet high; and this spot is the hottest place in the 
world. The desert looks like a great plain leading out 
to the horizon. The soil is almost as fine as white 
flour. 

“But, silent and deserted as it is, the Sun Prince 
declared that, because his beloved bride had been kept 
there, it should still be sacred in his eyes — still re- 
tain a certain fascination. So, in all its desolation, it 
does possess a weird beauty of its own. The sand 
dunes reflect the light of the sky. They are some- 
times deep blue, sometimes topaz yellow, and again, 
at sunset, a brilliant rose. 

“The quiet of the desert is profound, save when 

[ 124 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

some whirling sand-storm blows. Then all living 
creatures caught there are lost unless they lie flat 
and cover heads and mouths. Except for this, the 
air is always magnificent. At times, it is all covered 
with a pink mist; at other times, it is a pure golden 
haze. The mountains, too, are in changing shades of 
purple and lilac and blue, with golden and blood-red 
colors mingled. 

‘^All these years the place has remained a desert, 
— a monument to the treachery of Prince Fronto. 
Yet the bitterness of the Sun Prince seems to be 
lessening. Perhaps the sweet pleading of the beautiful 
Selene has won forgiveness, for of late that awful 
waste shows signs of life. True, its great mesas, in 
gray and gold, bordering its lonely hundreds of miles, 
are rocky and barren still; but now and then a green 
bush of elder arises on the sands, and the cacti and 
greasewood are beginning to flourish well. This is 
the first sign of life, but it means surely that Prince 
Corns has relented, and will remove the curse that 
‘nothing shall ever live there.’ 

“Occasionally, too, an animal has been seen run- 
ning across the dry, parched sands, and birds that 
[ 125 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

once flew hundreds of miles to avoid the hot plains 
now skim lightly across them. Then, at times, trees 
and green grass and cool fresh lakes of water are 
visible. These last disappear quickly when one ap- 
proaches and tries to drink from their curling waves. 
Wise people call these sights mirages, but perhaps, 
after all, they are real, and foreshadow what the desert 
will become. 

The Sun Prince is wise and merciful, and though 
justice must be done, when justice is appeased he can 
restore the cooling streams and vegetation to the 
parched sands. Some day, perhaps, the magic spell 
will be withdrawn from the mysterious desert, and its 
shining seas again smile beneath sunny skies. Even 
now. Prince Coras occasionally sends a great cloud- 
burst to drench the scorching plains. At flrst, we 
know, he did not love the barren waste. It brought 
back too keenly the sorrow of his stolen bride ; but time 
has softened that feeling, and with his beloved Princess 
by his side, he looks down and smiles upon its glare 
and glitter. He shows this in the wonderful sky effects 
above it. They are things of beauty. If clouds gather, 
he tips them with rainbow colors, — brilliant reds and 
[ 126 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 


oranges, purples and greens, melting into delicious 
pinks, soft lilacs, and grays. The sunset there is a 
glorious sight never to be forgotten. 

Its mountains, too, are beautiful. Often the ridges 
are clear-cut and sharp. Again, when the Sun pours 
his heat upon them, they seem as flat as the palm of 
your hand. They change color frequently, for at times 
startling reds and yellows and pinks are painted in 
stripes all over them. Later the canyons are flashing 
in brilliant needle-like points of superb color, but again 
they are a dull blue or gray, and lose their splendor. 

“But most sublime of all the sights is still the 
mirage. Trembling and glowing in the sea, lie trees and 
mountain peaks, reflected clear and beautiful. Maybe 
it is only the reflection of the golden haze that lies in 
the canyons at sunset; but whatever it is, it is one of 
the desert’s splendors. And though the lilac mist and 
the purple shadows that creep between the valleys and 
climb the mountains seem more natural to its desolation 
and its silence, yet the glory of that mirage — glittering 
with its dazzling hue, and flashing its strange lights like 
the rays from a fire-opal — will cling the longest in 
one’s memory.'’ 


[ 127 ] 



CHAPTER IX 

THE STORY OF PRINCESS SUNSET 

W HEN the story of the great desert or the 
lost ocean had been told, the little com- 
pany of Moon people thanked the guide 
for his tales, and again started on their journey. Soon 
they approached the borders of a beautiful wood. The 
guide told them that he would turn back when they 
had travelled through the forest, for on the other side 
of the forest the black dwarf awaited them. 

Princess Ethelda shuddered as she heard, but being 
a brave little Princess, she turned laughingly to the 
guide and said, ‘‘Well, Sir Guide, cannot you tell us 
another pretty story before you go?” 

“Willingly,” replied the guide, and he at once 
began the story of Princess Sunset. 

[ 128 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

Once upon a time there lived in the heart of a 
great forest, something like this we are passing through, 
a young Prince with his two elder brothers. They 
lived in a splendid palace, and were fond of hunting 
and shooting; but they were also frequently at war 
with their neighbors, so that fighting of some sort 
always seemed to be going on. This youngest was 
named Oswald; though he always accompanied his 
brothers to war, and was the very bravest of all the 
knights, he thought it was useless to fight about every- 
thing. Life would be much happier if people were 
kind and peace-loving; and unless there were a serious 
question to fight about, he did not believe in fighting 
at all. He much preferred to roam the forest, studying 
the sky and the trees, or the lovely waters of the clear 
blue lakes. He would spend hours thus, musing on 
the wonderful works of Nature, and wondering where 
she kept her marvellous paint-box. 

“Now, Prince Oswald was very good-looking. He 
was tall and slender as the young saplings about him, 
but he was powerful and strong of limb, too ; and when 
his brothers told him to choose a wife among the 
pretty maidens of the land, almost any of the princesses 
[ 129 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

would have been glad to be chosen. But Prince 
Oswald was in no hurry to choose ; he did not fall in 
love very easily, and he thought he would just wait 
until the right princess came along. 

One day, when lying on the shore of a beautiful 
body of water, he noticed that the sky was suddenly 
tinged with red. He rubbed his eyes with amazement, 
but the red hue tinged every object that he looked 
upon; the treetops, the lake, and the deer that glided 
along the edge of the forest had a delicate crimson 
splendor. In the midst of this fairy spectacle he heard 
a musical voice sigh, and turning around saw a 
radiantly beautiful woman standing near him. Her 
coimtenance was lovely, and her glorious brown eyes 
were sparklmg with light. She smiled as she looked 
upon him, and for a minute her teeth gleamed white 
as little pearls between her red lips. Her splendid 
golden hair hung in soft masses below her waist, and 
the wind was blowing it softly about. Her garments 
were loose and flowing, and variegated in color, shading 
from the tenderest pink to the deepest crimson. The 
wonderful dyes of her dress seemed to float away from 
her in rosy clouds, and blend in the air until the rich 
[ 130 ] 



u 'JpURNTNG around he saw a radianthj heautiful woman near him.” 


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THE MOON PRINCESS 

rose-color around glowed and deepened to a magnifi- 
cent red. 

‘‘As Oswald stood gazing upon this gorgeous 
maiden, she addressed him in a low and charming 
voice: ‘0, dreamer of the woods, am I not worth 
seeking? Why do you waste your life in idleness here? 
Look for me in the land that lies westward, beyond the 
setting of the sun. There may be many obstacles in 
your path, but, overcoming them, you will find your 
bride awaiting you. Am I not worth the winning ? ’ 

“For answer, Oswald sprang forward to clasp her 
in his arms, but at that instant the red light glowed 
more brightly about her, fiaring to a brilliant flame; 
and thus standing in its midst, she disappeared in a sea 
of fire, leaving the sky and water a dull, heavy gray. 

“Prince Oswald returned to the palace deeply 
wrapped in thought, and indeed he could think of 
nothing but the beautiful maiden he had seen. The 
next morning he determined he would seek and find 
her, because until he did he felt he could never be 
happy again. After making preparations to go, and 
bidding his brothers good-bye, he started alone to seek 
the Land of the Setting Sun. First he found the spot 
[ 131 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

by the lake where, the evening before, he had watched 
the glorious beauty of the strange maiden, and he sat 
down in silence. Again the sky took on its delicate rose, 
deepening untd the ruby splendor of the clouds piled 
themselves into gold and crimson palaces. From one 
of these palaces Oswald felt confident his beautiful lady 
would emerge, and tremblingly he sat expectant. Sud- 
denly the same peculiar sigh met his ears, and turning 
to greet the lovely stranger, he saw to his disappoint- 
ment only a glittering sword. The blade was, of 
course, of shining steel, but the handle was formed 
of one magnificent ruby. The radiance from this 
superb jewelled handle was magnificent. It gleamed 
and sparkled in flaming red, until the whole western 
world glowed with the bright reflection. 

Oswald realized with a beating heart that it was 
a message from the mysterious lady, and he lifted the 
sword to his side. Then feeling brave enough to meet 
any dangers because she had sent him the sword, he 
started on his travels to the Land of the Setting Sun. 
Over hills and prairies, but always toward the west. 
Prince Oswald travelled. He rested by night only, 
and at early dawn was ofi* again. On the third night 
[ 132 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

he saw a bright light ahead, and on approaching it 
found it to be a beautiful princess. She was dressed 
in a gown of spun silver, and on her forehead there 
shone one magnificent star. She greeted him kindly, 
and told him she was the Evening Star, and would 
light him through the dark forest. He thanked her 
gratefully, and accompanied her in among the dark 
and gloomy trees. She glided ahead, and the light 
from the beautiful star crown showed him the way, 
even in the darkest places. Evening Star told him 
she recognized him in the distance by the ruby-hilted 
sword he wore. ‘You seek the Princess Sunset,’ she 
continued, ‘do you not?’ 

“‘Yes,’ replied Oswald, ‘and I shall never rest 
until I find her.’ 

“ ‘ Alas ! ’ said Evening Star, ‘ though I sincerely 
wish you success, I must tell you that many difficulties 
will beset you, for of all the young men who have 
passed this way in quest of the golden-haired Princess 
not one has ever returned. The obstacles that have 
beset them have proven too great, and they have 
never yet been able to rescue her. 

“‘She is wonderfully beautiful, though, and I am 

[ 133 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 


not surprised that you seek her. Once I met her face 
to face, and I could never forget what a vision of 
beauty she was. It was a charming evening, and I 
had risen over the purple hills a little earlier than 
usual. Tall and majestic the Princess stood upon the 
hilltop, clothed in her marvellous dress of crimson. 
Her great brown eyes looked questioningly into mine, 
and her splendid hair floated back from her lovely face 
in a sort of golden mist, while the breeze blew her 
long, trailing robes across the sky. Her exquisite form 
stood plainly outlined thus for several minutes, and 
the crimson colors from her garments tinged the 
heavens from a dehcate pink to a brilliant ruby-red. 
Then suddenly stretching forth her arms toward me, 
she greeted me with a tender smile of welcome, and 
vanished. Never shall I forget her charm. She was 
the daughter of a great king and lived in a splendid 
palace, but she was as gentle and tender-hearted as a 
child. Her great delight was to roam the woods, 
gathering flowers and weaving them into a gorgeously 
colored robe. The brighter the flower the better she 
loved it. Red, yellow, blue, all were gathered and 
woven together, until the dress was a miracle of beauty 
[ 134 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 


and brightness. Her gown was so brilliant, that when 
she wore it the very skies reflected the colors, and she 
would stand upon the hilltop and let the flowing 
skirts trail out in long, loose lines across the heavens. 
This was her delight. 

“ ‘ People came from far and wide to see the Simset 
Princess in her flower dress, for when she wore it she 
was marvellously beautiful. Among them once came 
a wicked magician, and the moment his eyes fell upon 
her he determined to marry her. So, to gain his end, 
he killed her father and her brothers, and destroyed 
all her people. Then he stole her, and hid her in his 
western palace ; and there he has kept her a prisoner 
ever since. But she declares she will never, never 
marry such a cruel monster, even if she should never 
escape, and he cannot marry her without her consent. 

^‘‘Now, the poor Princess has the power to appear 
in a dream to any one she wishes to come and deliver 
her from the wicked old magician's power. But this 
is her only privilege. She can never stir from his 
palace ( except in dreams ) unless by his especial invita- 
tion. Once every day he invites her to come forth. 
At the sunset hour he calls her, and with her maidens 
[ 135 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

she walks out upon a spacious balcony. But she is a 
brave princess, and she courageously wears her crim- 
son flower dress, and gives him only scornful looks. 

^ The magician occasionally invites her out on the 
balcony for a cruel purpose — to show her the fate of 
each brave knight who tries to rescue her. Sometimes 
the gallant youth is already dead. Sometimes the 
wicked magician changes him into some four-footed 
creature before her eyes, making him wander upon the 
earth afterward as an animal. Alas! dear Prince,’ con- 
tinued Evening Star, sadly, ‘I dread to see you go 
upon this dangerous expedition.’ 

‘^‘Do not fear for me,’ answered Oswald, bravely. 
‘At last, I have learned where the beautiful Princess 
of my dreams is imprisoned. No matter what the 
dangers are, I will find her and rescue her.’ 

“Indeed, he was so rejoiced at the news brought 
by Evening Star that he slept with a light heart that 
night, and at early dawn started again toward the 
Setting Sun. Every evening the sky was tinged with 
the lovely red, but he had no other sign from the 
Princess. 

“One night he stopped at a castle where he met 

[ 136 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

the beautiful daughter of a wealthy and powerful duke. 
After a handsome banquet and ball given in his honor, 
where the young countess paid him the highest honors, 
the duke approached him, and offered to give him her 
hand in marriage if he would remain and help to 
govern the people. 

‘‘Now, Oswald was very grateful for all this kind- 
ness, but his heart was too full of the Sunset Princess 
to think of any other maiden. So, after thanking the 
duke courteously, he declined the honor. The young 
countess tossed her pretty head in disdain when she 
heard he loved another, and told him he was a fool for 
his pains, and that he would never rescue the Sun- 
set Princess. 

“But Oswald was not discouraged by her words, 
and continued his journey. 

“ That night he approached another forest, so dark 
and gloomy that he could not see his hand before him. 
But he remembered the red light that shone from his 
ruby-handled sword, and when he held it up he saw 
the path quite plainly before him. He heard dreadful 
squeaking noises all about him; groans and sudden 
cries and many dangers beset him. 

[ 137 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

‘^Presently a hideous giant arose. He was tall, 
and had green eyes, which he rolled awfully, and 
he gnashed his long white teeth as Oswald came 
along. 

‘‘‘You cannot enter my country,’ he growled 
loudly, and for a moment Oswald felt he did n’t want 
to enter it, because he saw (by the red light of his 
sword) a man being bitten to death by two horrid 
snakes. One snake was blue and one was white. 

“But Prince Oswald was brave as could be, and he 
could not see the man being killed, without helping 
him; so he dashed forward, and in one instant had 
killed both snakes with his shining blade, and rescued 
the man. 

“But just as he thought he had won a victory, 
a great swirling current of water appeared at his feet, 
and he leaped back only in time to escape a blow from 
the tail of a great black dragon. Now he knew the 
forest was bewitched; but he continued his journey, 
and all day long he fought for his life. Sometimes it 
was with wild beasts, and sometimes with the magician 
in person; but Oswald never let go his sword for one 
minute, and the great magic of its blade protected him. 

[ 138 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

At last the cool shadows of evening began to fall, and 
the goblins became less and less troublesome. 

‘ Then suddenly he perceived in his path a beauti- 
ful maiden. She seemed almost a phantom, for floating 
around and about her was a ghostly mist. But for all 
that, she was wondrously fair, with an unearthly sort 
of beauty. Her eyes shone like stars out of her snowy 
draperies, and her voice had a far-away sound, like the 
tinkle of silver bells. 

“‘0 Prince of the Wonderful Sword,’ she said, ^you 
have done me a great favor. I am the White Lady of 
the Mist, and my golden shuttle was stolen by the 
wicked old magician who stole the Sunset Princess. I 
could do nothing without it, for all my power lies in 
its magic. In fighting and overcoming the magician’s 
imps in the forest to-day you have restored it to me; 
his snares can never more affect me. So, now, I will 
prove that my power is restored, and that I am free 
again, by serving you. I will blind these wicked ene- 
mies of yours, so that they will seek you in vain, and 
I will conduct you safe this night through the Forest 
of Terrors.’ 

‘‘So saying, she began weaving with the shuttle, 

[ 139 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

and a wondrous weaving it was, for long streamers of 
mist floated like a white veil over the forest. Little 
by little the ghostly vapor covered everything. Faster 
and faster she wove, singing softly as she did so a 
curious kind of rhyme: — 

‘‘‘Wonderful Shuttle, weaving for me, 

Cover each shrub and cover each tree; 

Then, while my fairies dance and sing. 

Straight through the forest this brave knight bring! ’ 

“Gradually great clouds of white formed every- 
where. Their gauzy vapor thickened as they rolled 
away and enclosed the whole forest. Nothing could be 
seen but the wonderful little Lady of the Mist, and she 
stood shining and gleaming like silver in the centre 
of the ghostly shroud. At last, when all was snowy 
white, she stopped singing, and bade the knight follow 
her. Always through the thick veil he could see her 
shining bright and clear, and thus she conducted him 
through the dark forest. But the magician’s imps could 
not see a thing, and though Oswald heard them flght- 
ing and snarling, they did not trouble him again. 

“At break of day, on the edge of a beautiful lake, 
she left him ; but he was in full view of the mamcian’s 
[ 140 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 


elegant palace. The Lady of the Mist bade him re- 
main in hiding until the sunset hour, and when the 
Princess came out to view his dead body ( or the 
wicked magician’s skill in changing him into some 
animal), he must hold his gleaming sword in front of 
him, and boldly advance to her side. The White Lady 
of the Mist promised to aid him at the critical moment, 
and she would give him a sign to advance and rescue 
the Princess : it would be a veil of mist descending the 
mountain. He must not rush forward until the mist 
appeared, however, as she could not help him while 
the sun shone. 

‘‘The Prince promised faithfully to follow her 
instructions, though it was hard to wait all day. He 
walked around the lake, keeping well in the bushes, and 
finally hiding himself beneath the Princess’s balcony. 

“The magician’s palace was truly magnificent, for 
it was built all of solid black ebony. It was very 
gloomy and terrible to look upon, but also very 
costly, Oswald could see. The great arches of ebony 
that upheld the balcony were inlaid with glittering 
gold and diamonds, so that the palace sparkled bril- 
liantly in the sunlight. But a black palace 

[ 141 ] 


was an 


THE MOON PRINCESS 


unusual sight, and one felt at a glance that it was the 
abode of a magician. The floor of the balcony was 
inlaid with a border of splendid white pearls, and 
precious rugs lay on the floor. Costly jewels were 
scattered carelessly about in quantities, for the magician 
felt if he lost anything his magic could easily restore 
it. Enticing fruit gardens grew down to the borders 
of the lake, and handsome trees spread out their cool 
green branches. The place was so lovely it seemed a 
shame that such a wicked old magician should own it. 

‘‘Toward evening, when the sun was low, the 
magician came out and angrily called for the Princess. 
It was plain to see he was in a very bad humor. He 
had heard of the golden shuttle being restored to the 
White Lady of the Mist, and he was fearful of her 
power against him. He did not know, however, that 
Oswald was the knight who had been successful in 
restoring it, for he had given such strict instructions 
to his imps of the forest, that he felt sure Oswald had 
not escaped death. 

“Prince Oswald’s heart beat very fast as he saw the 
palace door open. When the lovely Princess, pale but 
proud and noble in her bearing, stepped forth, he could 
[ 142 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

hardly restrain himself from falling at her feet. He 
was bewitched by her beauty, for she was far lovelier 
than he had supposed. But he dared not venture 
forth without the signal from the White Lady of the 
Mist. Presently, as he waited impatiently, he saw 
creeping down the mountain-side the thin white veil. 
It rolled out in clouds, for the White Lady realized 
she had a great work to do. The old magician, how- 
ever, did not see the mist, because his face was turned 
the other way. He could not understand why his imps 
did not hurry across the lake with Prince Oswald, as 
they had done with the other knights. They should 
\ suffer for this delay op the morrow, he growled. 

‘^But Prince Oswald understood the delay. The 
little imps had not caught him; and he also knew by 
the thickly forming mist it was time to act. Grasping 
his shining sword firmly in his right hand, in one swift 
bound he reached the Princess’s side. He caught her 
hand in his, and she clung to him in pure joy and 
delight. At that moment the magician turned and saw 
them standing together. With a loud cry of rage he 
sprang toward them, but it was too late. 

^‘At this minute great clouds of mist rolled over 

[ ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

them and completely covered their forms. Everything 
was shrouded in ghostly white, and volumes of vapor 
continued to roll down the mountain-sides. Faster and 
faster came the heavy veil, completely blinding the 
magician. But Oswald picked the Princess lightly up 
in his arms, and holding his gleaming ruby sword before 
him as a lantern, ran easily through the fog. He 
reached the lake and found it as clear as crystal, and 
saw no sign of the mist except behind them. Evening 
Star shone brightly in the heavens to light them across 
the dimpling waters, and she had placed a lovely canoe 
in the green bushes for them. All this time the White 
Lady of the Mist was hanging her curtains behind the 
lovers, while her golden shuttle was weaving them so 
thick, that even the magician’s sharp eyes could not 
penetrate their folds. 

‘‘Prince Oswald and his Princess now saw clearly, 
and Evening Star directed their footsteps. When far 
from the wicked magician, and safe, they sat down to 
rest. Oswald told the Princess how much he loved 
her, and begged her to marry him ; she in gentle tones 
thanked him for what he had done, and gladly con- 
sented. 


[ 144 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

‘‘Just then Evening Star approached, and begged 
them to rest in her beautiful country. Gorgeous palaces 
awaited them, and a splendid people wanted to be gov- 
erned, she said. ‘And,’ she added, ‘if you consent, 
each night I will come and visit you, for I love the 
Sunset Princess as a sister, and my greatest happiness 
will be to watch yours.’ 

“ Then the Sunset Princess, who also loved Evening 
Star, begged Oswald to consent. They lived ever after- 
ward in that charming country on the banks of a great 
and lovely lake. The waters of the lake were so clear 
that the pebbles many feet below glistened like fire- 
opals. There they lived in great happiness ; and as the 
years went by Oswald loved his beautiful wife more, 
for she was charming to see. 

“Each evening, as the sun went down, Oswald and 
his lovely family (for there were many little children) 
met on the shores of the lake, and the Princess always 
wore her bright fiower dress. Even now, if you will 
but watch for their coming, you will see them yourself. 
First comes the Princess, proud and graceful as on that 
first evening when Oswald discovered her. Prince 
Oswald is close beside, and the children troop down 
[ 145 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 


in brilliant flower dresses like their mother’s. The red 
sandstone clifis on the high banks of the lake are the 
first to catch the glow of the children’s garments. 
Suddenly the dull sandstone reflects a brilliant light, 
gleaming out like burning fire. The glowing cliffs 
tinge with magic colors the soft fleecy clouds above, 
and one by one these colors deepen. Purple, gray, 
pink, gold, and crimson lights blend together, in 
glorious confusion. The calm surface of the water 
reflects the brightly colored heavens, and gradually 
the whole western world is aflame. 

Thus each evening, in this glorious field of color, 
Oswald and his family watch the sky, and await the 
nightly visit of the splendid Evening Star.” 


[ 146 ] 



CHAPTER X 

HOW THE MOON PRINCESS WAS TAKEN CAPTIVE BY 
THE BLACK DWARF 

A S the guide finished his storj of the Sunset 
Princess, Ethelda noticed they had passed 
through the forest, and it was with a little 
thrill of terror she saw the black dwarf and his 
companions a short distance ahead. 

After thanking their kind messenger for his guid- 
ance and the delightful stories he had told them. 
Prince Dorion and his party joined the dwarf. He 
seemed more hideous than ever, but his manner was 
perfectly respectful as he greeted his guests, and he 
hardly looked at the Princess. Two days of travel 
followed, — days during which new beauties of the 
earth were revealed; and because of her interest in 
these beauties the lovely Moon Princess almost forgot 
[ 147 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

her sad forebodings. She did not see the black 
dwarf during that time, and the horror of his pres- 
ence almost passed. He kept out of her sight, and 
remaining in front with his imps, led the way. 

Gold and silver had been scattered as they trav- 
elled, and for each piece that fell there formed 
later a splendid mine. The precious metal, melting 
and filtering through the earth in slender veins, reached 
finally the heart of the deepest mountains. There it 
spread and grew, until to-day the earth is full of its 
treasures in gold and silver mines. 

One day, Ethelda, light-hearted and happy, had 
loitered behind for a moment, to gather some tiny 
green ferns creeping between the rocks. She was 
stooping to pluck one, when suddenly she felt herself 
rudely seized. Looking up, she saw it was the black 
dwarf who had her within his grasp. She tried to 
get away, but his grip was like iron on her delicate 
arm. She could not move, and realizing her utter 
helplessness, she screamed aloud. Her agonizing call 
reached her husband, but too late for him to aid her. 
For the black dwarf stamped violently upon the 
ground, which opened wide, and with her in his arms 
[ 148 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

he sank into the opening, which immediately closed 
over them. Then Ethelda fainted. 

When she recovered, she found she was in a large 
vaulted chamber, in a big cave. The light was very 
poor, but she could see the ugly black dwarf watch- 
ing her steadily. For a moment she thought she 
would die of fright, and then she remembered that, 
as a Moon maiden, she had the power to protect 
herself from harm. In that instant her courage re- 
turned and strengthened her. Softly she repeated the 
words of the charm she had learned in the nursery 
of the Moon palace, and had sung at her mother’s 
knee. In a low, musical voice she chanted: — 

Rays of the Moon, brilliant and bright, 

Protect me by day, protect me by night. 

Naught can harm me when in your embrace. 

Protect me you must, as child of your race. 

Send but the halo seen often about you. 

And I promise, sweet mother, I never shall doubt you. 

As she sang, a beautiful halo formed gradually 
about her, such as you sometimes see about the moon, 
and in the centre of this great shining space Ethelda 
stood alone. 


[ 149 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 


When she moved, her white and silver dress flashed 
in long sparkling rays, like the moonlight on the 
water. The black man covered his eyes to shield 
them at first from the blinding light, for it was like 
the sudden flashing of midday into the darkest night, 
and the cave became very bright. He looked on 
surprised, not understanding Ethelda’s words, and 
on finding what she had done he was completely 
astounded. He stepped forward quickly to snatch her 
from the glowing circle, but found he could not reach 
her side. Then he became furious and called his imps, 
who swarmed to his assistance; but when they ap- 
proached the maiden, a barrier of iron seemed to stand 
before them. They could not break it down at all, 
nor could they penetrate the beaming circle. Ethelda 
was safe from any harm except imprisonment. 

The dwarf soon abandoned all thought of reach- 
ing her, and in truth he never really meant to harm 
her, but had stolen her to marry her. So he deter- 
mined to try kindness to win her love, and though 
he kept her a prisoner, he was not otherwise unkind. 
In many ways he tried to please her. 

For years he had been fitting up a wonderful cave, 

[ 150 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

hoping some day to induce a lovely maiden to accept 
and marry him. But he was so ugly and repulsive 
that all the Earth maidens shunned him. Still he 
had gone on decorating the cave, determined to steal 
a wife if necessary. 

He had gone to the Earth festival with the intention 
of finding a wife there, but when his eyes fell on the 
Princess Ethelda he forgot all the other maidens. He 
thought her gloriously beautiful, and determined to steal 
her, although she was already married. Therefore, he 
made up his mind that the Moon Princess should love 
him and forget her husband. On that account he tried 
to be kind. Every morning he sent her a beautiful 
gift, and then soon after paid her a visit and asked 
her to marry him. Each day her reply was the same, 
— that she loved her husband and hated him, but if he 
would restore her to her husband, and show her her 
home in the starry skies, she would forgive his stealing 
her. At these words the dwarf would go into a great 
rage and leave the room, but every day he would return, 
hoping she had changed her mind. 

At last he conceived a great idea by which he 
thought he could win her. Day and night he worked 

[ 151 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

over it, and one morning, when it was completed, he 
invited her in to see a room he had fitted especially for 
her to occupy. He thought she would be so pleased 
at what he had done for her that she could no longer 
refuse him. 

When he opened the door and bade her enter, 
she was amazed and delighted in spite of herself. 
Round and beautiful in shape was the room. Great 
stalactites and stalagmites hung from the ceiling and 
grew from the fioors, — all a mass of shining light, for 
they were of purest white crystal, and shone like the 
sun. The room was richly furnished, and every com- 
fort seemed there ; but all of this was not what 
she saw to admire. It was a darker room beyond 
that absorbed and enchanted her. Her eyes beheld 
what she thought at first was her own beautiful 
home again. Quickly she passed into it. Blue as the 
heavens she had left was the lofty ceiling she gazed 
into. She stared with fresh wonder at the bejewelled 
stars, and with beating heart watched their brilliant 
rays. She expected every moment to see the Moon 
sail past in silver glory. But the radiant splendor 
of her mother’s Moon palace was absent, and then 
[ 152 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

Ethelda recognized with a great pang that it was not 
really the sky she saw at all. 

The countless clusters of stars overheard had been 
gathered only with untold labor. The dwarf had 
stationed his numerous slaves to watch the heavens all 
the night, and when a shooting star fell they seized 
and brought it straight to him. Gradually, therefore, 
toiling and working in this way, they built the famous 
Star Chamber in the great black cave for the Moon 
Princess. 

Ethelda’s disappointment was very keen when she 
learned the truth. Still she loved the Star Chamber 
better than any other spot in her prison, and she visited 
it often. 


[ 153 ] 



CHAPTER XI 

HOW THE SUN PRINCE RESCUED THE MOON PRINCESS 

I N the meanwhile Prince Dorion, distracted with 
grief, was trying in every way to dig down deep 
enough to rescue his beloved bride. But the 
stones would not yield. He had seen his darling 
disappear in the hands of the hideous black dwarf, 
and he often came to that place to mourn. Night 
after night he visited it, hoping a miracle would restore 
Ethelda to him there. But all day he searched the 
world for her. 

The Earth, mortified by this outrage to her hospi- 
tality, tried to help him. Her granddaughters, the 
mermaids, had sought information from every part of 
the globe, but as yet without success. The Moon 
Princess had disappeared from the face of the Earth 
[ 154 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

completely. The year passed, and sorrowful and sick 
at heart the Sun Prince bade his companions adieu. 
He determined to abide upon the Earth until he found 
Ethelda. What was his amazement, therefore, when 
the knights and maidens refused to leave him. They 
would wait with him, they said. The loss of his bride 
had bound them more closely together. The Sun’s 
rays looked down appealingly and the Moon ladder 
glittered temptingly, but they bravely turned their eyes 
away. They built a beautiful city near the Ocean, 
where they could see the Moon ladder more plainly, 
but they had lost the right to climb its shining steps, 
for the twelve months had expired. 

Prince Dorion searched every day for his bride. 
He consulted a wise witch living alone in a deep forest, 
but she shook her head sadly, and always replied in 
these curious words: — 

‘‘ Search as you please, 

But not among trees 
Shall the fair Princess he found. 

Go from the water 
To the Moon’s daughter ; 

There lies she in prison hound ! ” 

[ 155 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 


Never a word more would she utter, and the poor 
Prince would puzzle himself about how he could reach 
the Princess. But he continued his search. He would 
often go to the spot where his beloved had disappeared. 
A stately tree, as slender as the Princess, had sprung 
up there. Its waving green branches swayed gently, 
and stretched out with delicate, tender leaves. Its 
trunk wore the white and silver dress of the Moon 
maiden, and stood like a ghost to mark the place. 

The Earth people ever after called it the Silver 
Birch. At its foot a beautiful little spring had bubbled 
up, and its crystal-clear waters had formed a tiny 
stream that gurgled over the rocks, seeking to reach 
the sea. In its shining depths he sometimes saw the 
Moon’s ladder, and he fancied the clear blue eyes of 
Ethelda looked out wistfully at him. But it was only 
the blue patches of sky overhead. 

One night, sad and depressed, he sat beside the 
Ocean. The great throbbing sea seemed to soothe 
him a little. While he sat there thinking of Ethelda, 
and almost despairing, a mermaid floated shoreward. 
Besting her beautiful arms on the white gleaming sand, 
she spoke to him. 


[ 156 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

‘‘0, Prince of the Sun,” she began, ‘‘I have news 
for you — news of your lost bride.” 

‘‘News of my beloved Ethelda?” cried the Prince, 
joyously. 

“Yes,” answered the mermaid, “your Ethelda is 
safe and unharmed. I have seen her.” 

“ You have seen her ? ” cried the Prince. “ 0 favored 
mermaid, take me to her at once.” 

“Mighty Prince,” replied she, “I have come to 
show you the way. Do you remember the bubbling 
stream you have often sat beside? It was formed 
from Ethelda’s tears. Those crystal drops arose even 
through the rocks to comfort you; but deeper down 
ran the stream, cutting into the Earth until it formed a 
dark and gloomy river to lead you back to her. I 
found this stream and followed it — straight from the 
crystal spring into a dark and gloomy cave. There 
Ethelda lives and waits for you.” 

A moment more and Prince Dorion was swimming 
beside the little mermaid. They swam along the coast 
until a dark line showed them where the river joined 
the ocean. And after many a turn and twist in the 
black river, they reached Ethelda’s cave. 

[ 157 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

The Moon Princess sat within the vaulted Star 
Chamber alone. What a radiant creature she was! 
Her silver halo surrounded her, and she was chanting 
in a musical voice the pretty words which had caused 
it to form. The Sun Prince’s eyes dwelt lovingly upon 
her, but he was amazed to see overhead the stars 
shining in the clear blue vault of heaven. 

‘‘Ethelda,” he cried softly; and his heart leaped 
with love at the sight of his bride, and bounding 
forward he reached her side. In another moment she 
lay in his arms, sobbing and laughing for joy. 

‘‘Beloved, you are unhurt?” he questioned 
anxiously. 

“Yes,” she answered, growing calmer. “I am un- 
harmed; and in a way he was not unkind. But he 
wished me to marry him, and so kept me in this 
gloomy cave, hoping I would consent. 

“ See, beloved, even the stars above us he stole to 
comfort me and win my love. Every shooting star 
that fell from the heavens was brought here and placed 
in that high ceiling. They shine so brightly there 
that the blackness of the ceiling seems almost blue, 
and sometimes I almost believe I am gazing into the 
[ 158 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

skies. But, beloved, nothing comforted me in your 
absence. I have sat weeping here, forming this river 
of tears to bring you to me.” 

Prince Dorion pressed her tenderly to his breast 
at these words, and whispered : Dry your tears 

now, sweetheart, you will not need them longer, for 
I shall take you for ever away from this hideous 
prison.” 

Silently he carried her to the mermaid’s side, and 
softly they slipped away. 

But before Ethelda left, feeling herself safe again 
within her husband’s arms, she slipped out of the 
Moon’s halo and left it in the famous Star Chamber 
of the black cave. There it stays for every one to 
see, lighting the room with its silver rays in com- 
pany with the glorious stars which the black dwarf 
stole and placed there. 

Back again into the golden sunshine Ethelda came, 
and once more the beautiful Moon shone down caress- 
ingly upon her. Freed from the black dwarf’s spell, 
and with her loved companions, she soon recovered 
from her long imprisonment, and was lovelier and 
more joyous than ever. She had almost forgotten 

[ 159 1 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

those trying days and the black dwarf’s cruelty, 
but the Earth Queen had not. 

Her Majesty summoned the dwarf and all his 
wicked followers to court for trial, and he did not dare 
to disobey her summons. Ethelda and the Sun Prince 
were invited to hear his sentence ; and an awful 
punishment it was that was put upon him. He was 
condemned to live always in the dark cave where 
he had kept Ethelda prisoner. With his followers 
he would never again be allowed to see the Sun or 
the Moon ; never again could he behold the face 
of the Earth. 

The Moon Princess shuddered as she heard the 
dreadful sentence, for to her darkness ^as the worst 
of punishments. She turned to the Earth Queen and 
said impulsively: ‘^Oh, your Majesty, be not so cruel! 
Sentence them to anything rather than eternal dark- 
ness.” 

So the Earth Queen, listening to the tender plead- 
ings of the gentle Moon maiden, relented; but still the 
dwarf’s crime must not be dealt with lightly. She 
consented, however, to allow the culprits to see the Sun 
and the Moon, but they were destined to become the 
[ 160 j 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

slaves of the mermaids, and live always in the water. 
Then, fearing they might forget they were put into the 
water to expiate their crime (for the mermaids were 
kind-hearted and good), she changed them into fishes, 
and marked every one with the shining colors of the 
Sun and Moon. Even now, if you notice carefully the 
pretty fish swimming in the sparkling water, you will 
see the fiery red color of the sun blending with the 
delicate silver tints of the moon. These markings of 
gold and silver they must carry for ever as evidence 
of their slavery, and in punishment of their wicked 
deed. In other respects they are not unhappy. 

Ethelda and the Sun Prince dwelt always after upon 
the Earth, but they loved it, as you know. The Moon 
Mother, looking down and seeing their joy, and how 
contented they were, gradually became reconciled to 
their remaining. As a proof of her forgiveness and 
friendliness to them and their decendants, she has 
left the Moon ladder down. She has never taken it 
away since the night the bridal party walked down 
its shimmering silver stairs. Every night, between 
the mystic hours of dusk and the rosy dawn, some- 
where in the heavens, that splendid white palace is 
[ 161 ] 


THE MOON PRINCESS 

shining, and its bright ladder is stretching down in 
a flood of glory. 

Since then, maybe (who knows?) other Moon 
maidens have walked down those jewelled steps to a 
honeymoon on the Earth. 

THE END. 



[ 162 ] 


By Edith Ogden Harrison ^ Author of 
**The Moon Princess^* 

Prince Silverwings 

and Other Fairy Tales 
THIRD EDITION 

M rs. HARRISON made her liter- 
ary debut in this very attractive 
volume, which is of the kind that 
is sure to be always popular. There are 
seven stories in the book, and they are 
all told in a singularly direct and un- 
affected manner, with the engaging 
simplicity that is so appreciated by 
young readers. The pictures by Mrs. 
Perkins are in delicate tints, and show 
a charming fancy and imagination. 

“The stories are set forth in simple and 
serene English, They have a great deal of 
prettiness, and a delicate fancy wavers over 
them as the sun glints on a wall. The book 
is in pictorial ways extraordinary, . . delicate- 
ly colored, exquisitely executed fancies that 
make palpable the illusive dreams of fairy 
land .” — Chicago Tribune. 

Illustrations in Color by Lucy Fitch Perkins 
$1.2-5 Net 

A. C. McClurg & Co., Publishers 


By Edith Ogden Harrison^ Author of 
*‘The Moon Princess** 

The Star Fairies 

and Other Tales 

]V/fRS. HARRISON’S first book, 
“Prince Silverwings,’’ captured the 
public completely because it was, in a 
way, a revival of the old-fashioned fairy 
book, the simple little tales that young 
children really enjoy. This second col- 
lection of stories is written with the same 
idea of pleasing the smallest of readers, 
— direct, simple language and always, of 
course, the “happy ending.’’ The book 
is dedicated to “the little readers of 
‘Prince Silverwings,’ ” and they are 
sure to find it quite as delightful as that 
charming collection. Mrs. Perkins’ 
pictures are original and artistic in color- 
ing, and go admirably with the text. 

“The child who has not known the delight 
of an acquaintance with the bright little 
twinkling sky fairies may be introduced by 
these dainty little tales unearthed by Mrs. 
Harrison. The illustrations are exquisite 
little mural plates by Lucy Fitch Perkins, and 
the cover design and its treatment are very 
attractive . — Chicago Evening Post. 

Illustrations in Color by Lucy Fitch Perkins 

$1.25 Net 

A. C. McClurg & Co., Publishers 






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